


Dry

by Experiment282



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Awkward First Times, Awkward Sexual Situations, Awkward Tension, Awkwardness, Blood and Gore, Desertpunk, Dialogue Light, F/M, Fantasy, First Kiss, Horror, Hurt/Comfort, Insanity, Minimalism, Mystery, Mythology References, Older Characters, Post-Apocalypse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Sexual Experimentation, Sharing a Bed, Touch-Starved, Touching, Unique Mythos, Unplanned Pregnancy, original lore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2020-09-19 20:55:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 58
Words: 259,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20282626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Experiment282/pseuds/Experiment282
Summary: Planet: Unknown. Year: Unknown. Humanity: Nearly Extinct.After her parents go missing, Connie resolves to find the mythical Temple found in her fathers book, considered the last Oasis for humanity. But she must travel through the harsh lands ravaged by drought and the monsters that lay within, on her own, but not before meeting a mysterious shield-baring magical warrior.Post-Apocalypse AU with Adult Steven/Connie





	1. Worm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie was born in this faded world without colour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work is generally inspired by works of the Fallout Series, Games like Ico/Shadow of the Collossus/The Last Guardian, Mad Max etc.  
It's what I like to call to be situated in the Dryverse which is an AU and how things work here will be a bit different to how they work in the show.  
It's primarily Connverse and will eventually have some smut down the line. But for now, this will be a story about them finding their way through an empty world and its secrets and exploring themselves into territories they've never explored before. I'm going to try and keep the dialogue extremely minimal, but it won't be completely without it.  
Connie = 18  
Steven = 20

**Lesson 1: Trust your instincts.**

Wind. Dirt. Sand. Storms without rain. Skies with brown, overcast clouds. The stench the air smelled of the dead air, dust and forgotten life. Shades of the world covered in brown, yellow and faded black and white. Anything grass was as of the same colour as the dirt, the stones and the mud. Any trees were grey, dull brown or black and lacking so called 'leaves'.  
Connie had always known these things since she was a young girl. Her parents used to tell her stories of the rain. They forgot how long it was since the last great downpour. She was used to this. Her parents would go out during the day to get resources, meanwhile, Connie sat at home, reading the same book over and over again. They would move from place to place with what they could carry on their back, when all known resources were gone...or they'd find bodies, corpses nearby which meant they had to move. Her father said evil would come for them as they had stolen the rain from them.  
The abandoned house was dark, save from the precious candles they used as a luxury when they found some. Fire...warmth...just as rare. It was filled with dust but Connie was used to the scent. Having grown up in faded blue rags and leather, fingerless gloves and clothes her mother had sown for her, a dark blue bandanna with white lined decor and the pair of black goggles to protect her eyes during sandstorms and big black boots that would need to be emptied before entering any safe haven. It was considered bad luck to come in with shoes filled with sand or dirt.

She was told to keep quiet and to not use the candles without their permission, lest they attract the monsters. Only, that in the small, barely lit room she found herself in with the dirty yellow walls she had her fathers pink book with the star on top with her at all times. It had sketches of things considered ancient history. Places with tall trees of a different colour and beautiful oasises that had waterFalls and rivers that seemed to have endless supplies of the precious commodity. The drawing that got to her the most, was the statue of a large woman, considered to be only a myth, called the Temple of Obsidian. Her parents said it wasn't real, to Connie's disheartened spirit.

She was eighteen years young at this point and had kept up the routine of a very conservative lifestyle, but she wondered...if the places in her fathers book ever existed. He told her that they did, but that was long ago.  
Now they scavenge the lands for anything of value. Food and water were their main priority. Occasionally, they'd find trinkets for Connie. Toys...jewelry, more books...clothes as she got older. One day they found her a scimitar and she'd used lessons in a book she found about swordsmanship and was she keen to learn, so she practiced often when her parents were away.

They would tell her how the world once was but not how it got to this point. Whether or not they knew....it wouldn't matter to Connie. Each day was the same and each night was spent huddling together in the darkness, wary of the noises outside. 

Except for that one day her parents didn't come back.

She waited and waited...a day or two...until she became extremely hungry and desperate. 

They'd stayed inside of a little hut and Connie had prepared for their return. But they never did.

After much deliberation, her gut told her that they weren't coming back. It was a day she was warned about, but she never expected it to. She had believed they were still out, but there were definite calls for doubt. So she gathered her things and got her bags ready...and kept her blade close on her hip.

Where could she go? She trusted her parents to guide her around...to protect her. Now she could only guide herself in the faded wastelands. 

* * *

The world itself became much darker, dirtier now that she had to roam on her own. The only thing she could hunt down now was the mythical temple. Was it real? It had to be. Surely they wouldn't have it down for no reason. If she could find it, find its secrets, find it as it as source of salvation. It would help.

Going from what the book told her, there were also Micro-Temples scattered throughout the world, ancient ruins said to have contained secrets of the ancient world. That maybe, it could help find the Temple of Obsidian. She'd used a copy of a map her parents gave her, though it was a tattered mess. The only parts that she noted was there were black dots noting down old townships. She figured her own location and went to the closest one.

Long walks were known. Hillsides, flat dusty plains and mountains of sand were the norm. She did come across an old, dead forest, with huge black trees that sprawled all around her, which was named as the Trees of the Worm. A red line indicated despite the curvy nature, it would be the best route to take. While the winds and the pattering of her footsteps were the only sounds she could hear, she had this uncanny feeling that she wasn't alone. Fear ran deep through her, rippling like a bolt of electricity. 

That night, she made a shelter made of old wood. Nothing special or overly protective but she put on the tarp on top to at least stop the howling winds and drifting sands from disturbing her where she slept.

Every day was like that though, roaming for hours on end and only finding little. Connie's resources were dwindling and she had to find this place. Within the depths of this gargantuan labyrinth like place, she finally arrived at her destination.

A large, squarish rock built construct was in the middle the surrounding, thick close trees. A large, black stone door adorned it, with a star marking on it. Connie checked back with the book and realized it match with the front cover. This had to be it. One of the Micro-Temples.

Connie had nothing to lose by this stage. She set her stuff down and tried to filter through the book to find a way to open it. While she had read it a million times she checked it again to be sure. It was noted only the hands of the worthy could open the doors. Her parents must have known this...maybe even found one and tried to find a way. Connie found a console on the right hand side that had a symbol of a hand on it. She rested her hand on it and left it there for the moment. But...it didn't work. There had to be a way inside. While she was excited at the prospect of finally finding something related to the mythology the book portrayed, it saddened to think that this was it. She couldn't give up however, not now.

It was getting dark and the volume of the chattering nearby increased exponentially. Connie turned around and pulled out her sword. Her eyes darted from side to side, checking for any sudden movements. There were hisses and the subtle screeches that became not so subtle.

Next thing she knew was a giant long, reddish worm that popped out from behind the trees attacked it her, with its giant, round maw lined with rows of sharp teeth baring to her. It took the first move and tried to eat her. Connie dodged a multitude of times and swiped as good as she could give. Training herself verses actually fighting something for the first time weren't comparable. She was fearful, but not unwilling to take action. Connie had vastly underestimated the creature's speed verses size and ended up getting a tail whip to the face and sent flying towards the temple and clashing with the door. Her vision blurred, going between the darkness and the faded world. She looked up with the haze to see the monster lurking over her, mouth gaping and tendrils from it's head wiggling and her sword too out of reach. She felt her forehead and noted that she had a cut across it, going from the blood on her fingers. If this was to be her end...

However, next thing she knew was a bright pink round object that collided it with high speed. Her eyes were drawn to a mysterious figure nearby who started to fight with it. Punches were thrown which sent it packing; smashing against the trees nearby and kicking up a cloud of dust. Connie pulled up her bandanna over her mouth to prevent herself from inhaling it. The figure was donned in black-brown clothes but they were considerably large from a distance. They'd jumped up high and slammed the creature with a massive punch which destroyed it completely.

Either Connie was hallucinating from the lack of food or it was from her concussion, but it looked like they'd picked up something off the ground and crushed it, with a weird orange light that was streamed into the figure itself. It was hard to say what was really going on.

One dip out of reality and one dip out, Connie turned her head to the side, then saw that they'd approached the console and rested their hand on it. Next moment, the console started to glow underneath its influence. Connie found herself falling back as the door behind her slid sideways. The figure approached and leaned over her. Connie wanted to open her mouth to protest, if she had lost consciousness completely.

Either way, she embraced the void knowing that the myths were real.


	2. Strangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the incident with the monster, Connie finds herself in the company of a very mysterious man.

** _Lesson 2: Don't talk to strangers._ **

She often dreamed of the forests from the books. Chirping birds, lush trees and a warm sun. All the colourful dreams would swirl to an end with the sight of a stained, warn ceiling.

Upon opening her eyes however, her vision blurred. The sound of a crackling fire tingled her ears as light flickered on a blue stone wall. Wind howled in the distance as Connie sat up to get a grip of her surroundings.

A bonfire was in the center of what Connie could assume to be a cave of sorts, giving off its welcoming glow. She could see her stuff to the side of her, stacked with her blade as well as a pink sleeping bag on the other side, stacked with more gear. Connie furrowed her brows, unsure of what was going on. Last memory she had before fading out was the sight of a light rose pink shield and a figure that lurked over her. Her mind tried to cobble up what it could, unable to figure where she was, until the flaps from the caves entrance moved to reveal a large figure.

Connie's first instinct was to grab her scimitar and point it towards the figure in case they tried anything funny. They seemed unfazed, as they took all their black and brown protective gear off, then shifted his dark goggles to his head to reveal a man underneath it all, wearing a torn, dirty salmon pink top with a star on it, covered with a dark brown leather jacket and with jeans and brown boots. He first appeared unabated by Connie's threat as she looked into his big black eyes and took note of his poofy black hair. He filtered through his bag and offered Connie something small, round and red. An apple.

She was at first, puzzled as to why he was offering it to her. He then smiled and urged her to take it. Connie took a deep breath through her nose, then stared at him. He didn't appear threatening, though Connie's parents did warn her not to talk or deal with strangers. Her throat was too clogged with anxiety to speak too which made it difficult for her to voice her concerns. She pursed her lips, then slowly put her blade away and about after a minute, snatched the apple from the mans hand as she practically devoured it.

The man sat down on the nearby sleeping bag, spread his legs out and stared at her as she ate, almost inquisitive like. Being studied like that was the least of Connie's worries as she gobbled the apple ferociously. The man then took out a metal cup and a green bottle and filled the cup with water. After she finished the apple and tossed the core aside, she then took the cup after a moments hesitation and gulped it in one go. She sighed with content then threw the cup back to him as he caught it and smiled.

The time they spent there was within awkward, crisp silence. She didn't know how to thank him. This was the first person she'd met outside of her family. He definitely wasn't a monster but he seemed to have something about him that called attention. That shield...it didn't look like something one would be able to create on the fly. 

Was he...one of them? No...not the same...surely. She was scared all the same as she gasped. Connie shrunk as she brought her knees to her chest as she started to whimper. She just wanted her mom and dad back. The man frowned, then went to one of his bags and fished out a glowing red bracelet. He then wandered over to sit next to her. Connie slid away, not wanting him to be that close. He then put the bracelet on her knee, then went back to his sleeping bag and looked into the fire.

Connie examined the bracelet for some time, unsure of its origins or its power. Connie often found the jewelry her parents gave her boring over time and usually would leave them with her mother. They weren't practical but some reason, Connie found this strange gesture weirdly comforting. She was still suspicious of course. Though she would like to pry into his mind, to know what his own motivations were. He was a survivor like her, a single being that had, when it came to it, saved her life. All she had done in the past was receive and not give. What would she give? 

She then thought of the purple teddy bear she found previously. She liked stuffed toys when she was little, usually as an object to talk to when her parents were out but perhaps he'd find that more to his liking? She didn't know. It certainly wasn't practical. The bracelet wasn't either. She then stopped crying and went to her bag and got the bear in question out, then walked over and offered it to him, much to his surprise.

A small smile crept up on her face as she displayed it. It'd seem silly, given their odd situation. The man pressed his hand against his chest as he went starry eyed and beamed over her gift. He took it from her hand and raised it in the air with both hands as he grinned like it was the best thing he'd ever seen, which warmed Connie's heart. The tightest of hugs were in full force shortly after as he rubbed his chin against it. To her...it was actually...cute?

They'd still spent most of the night in silence which was fine by her. It allowed her to contemplate her next series of actions. With the storm going on outside they would need to wait it out until it subsided until they could leave. While Connie desperately wanted to find her parents, she became awfully curious about this man. Curious...and without internal admission, she honestly didn't want to be alone anymore. A life spent mostly with her parents but now...all on her own, she could see herself allying with this man...but to ask much more of him...

She watched on, however, as he pilfered through his stuff once more and brought out a piece of chalk. He then scribbled something on the walls. An arrow? That pointed towards him? On it, he wrote the name, 'Steven'.

He gestured his hand as he grinned between himself and the word. So...his name was Steven...hmm... he then threw the chalk to her, much to her surprise as she caught it, jumbled it around with it as she wasn't prepared, before she snatched it in the air. She sighed with relief, then looked back him. He made a small smile, wanting to know her name.

Well, now she at least had a name to call him. She then wrote her name on the wall behind her as well as an arrow that pointed towards her, then did the same gestures as he did.

The grin on his face got wider as he rapidly clapped in jubilation. He then motioned to his forehead and rubbed it, then pointed towards her. Puzzled as to what he was asking, she rubbed her forehead. Her eyes widened at the realization that the wound on her head had healed. She went through her things to find the small compact mirror, to see that there wasn't any scar either. It had completely healed. Connie looked at Steven who was giving her a thumbs up.

Did..did her heal her?

Not to mention that he had also opened the door.

And that shield...

What was he?

Well, he certainly wasn't a stranger anymore.


	3. Wanderers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie travels with Steven.

**LESSON 3: Never stay in one place for too long.**

Wandering spirits; which was what they were now. They'd long ventured out of the forest and into the open, dusty and dirty brown plains again, where if they found something they could use as shelter for the night, whether or not it was a cave, an abandoned house or some kind of broken down building, they took advantage of it. They even found a can of beans in what used to be called a supermarket, which got Steven really excited about it, though saddened when he couldn't open it. Luckily, Connie was prepared with a can opener. They would use that for dinner that night.

While they didn't talk much, Connie was just glad that she wasn't alone anymore. She shared the map with Steven, who was surprised she had such a thing. He was going by his instinct mostly. Connie was still curious about his nature however and showed him the book. He mulled it over, then saw the Temple of Obsidian and repeatedly tapped the page with his finger. Luck would have it, that he was going there too. But the map didn't show where the Temple would be located, only where the black dots that stood. Hopefully, however...that meant that the smaller micro-temples could be located this way. While the first one was small, Steven noted that the Micro-Temples were old constructs that had only appeared in the last few years or so and were of an unknown origin. That would explain why Connie had never seen one once in her life. 

He'd fought a few of the monsters on his way here to the mysterious temple prior to meeting Connie, which were described as weird looking and the only other sources of colour, in the faded world, like colour was their enemy.

They'd made their way into a two-story home nestled in a old suburb with leafless trees that dotted the streets in neatly planned lines alongside the roads. It was tall and narrow with a red roof and walls that could have been white but were now a yucky yellow. A compacted house, but intact enough to be secure. The entrance lead to a lounge area that lead straight to the back door, the kitchen to the right hand side with the windows having barricade with scraps of wood of 2 x 4s and a set of stairs nearby that lead to the second floor. The pair knew their way around and the usual patterns it took to ensure their safety for the night. If it was in a home, one had to make sure that they were able to protect any and all entrances, but allow at least one to escape quickly in case things got hairy. Only take stuff out of your bag if you really needed it etc.

So many rules were out there, unwritten but it'd been this code to live by. Connie knew nothing else. With Steven however, she could learn so much more. Perhaps...in combat. He proved to be someone who could fight alongside her and stand a chance against all that threatened them and yet...

There was this charm to him as well. Strong, resourceful but held this optimism that Connie had never encountered before. A personality that drew her in instantly as he radiated confidence. It was odd to her. Were all people like this she wondered. Her parents were the rule makers, but they weren't always the most...chatty.

Later that evening, they started a fire out the back. They both sat on white, plastic chairs while they prepared their meal. Tall, maroon fences surrounded them that protected their privacy, or what they would deem a safer, more enclosed space. Monsters could be attracted to the flames otherwise. But the house itself was made of wood and it wouldn't be a good idea to burn it indoors. Steven was exceptionally enthused about their upcoming dinner, as Connie prepared everything, from opening the can to pouring it into the pot and waiting for it cook as it sat hanging under a metal bar above the flames. Once ready, She poured them into their bowls as Steven ate his in a near instant. Seeing this...seeing everything about him and how...just out of this world he really was, intrigued her. She couldn't help but smile from his infectious behavior. 

They cleaned up shortly after, as Steven quickly ran back inside and came back out with a small instrument. A ukulele. Her parents found instruments once before and Connie used to have a violin before they were forced to get rid of it due to it taking up much needed space in their limited inventory. He tuned it and started to play. To hear music was a complete rarity to her. Another luxury that she could not afford in her travels but as Steven played it, she became enamored with its tune. A voice with no words but had much more of an emotional impact.

It eventually came time to rest again as Steven put out the fire, took their things and the two went up the stairs to sleep. Two bedrooms were in the upstairs hallway across from each other, both with navy wallpaper that had partially been torn in places. The carpet had signs of being a light blue under the dust and the white doors themselves were nailed against the windows in a diagonal way in both rooms. They took the opportunity, as the pair slept in separate beds. The white metal frames had since rusted in parts and the mattress had seen better days but Connie wasn't too picky...it wasn't the worst she'd seen or the the most uncomfortable spot she even laid on. She patted off what dust she could before she placed the sleeping bag on top and hopped inside to sleep.

Dreams returned to her in the depths of the night. The sounds of his song entered her ears. A pleasure on its own. If Connie could find that violin again, she'd join in. A song or two, but a song for two. The world was less empty with his presence and it felt like he was all she needed. A smile to keep her warm and hopeful.

However, her eyes opened to the sounds of murmurs in the distance. Besides the casual howling winds outside, Connie's hearing was honed in for odd noises in the night; a habit formed by her parents to be wary, even when sleeping. Without making too much noise, Connie got off the bed and tip toed out of the room and had both hands on the door frame.

The noise came from Steven's room. 

Curiosity got the better of her again as she <strike></strike>slowly walked in. He kept a glowing bracelet next this bed and it was blue in color, which was bright enough for her to see a bit of what was going on. Steven slept on his side, with the purple teddy bear by his head and his thumb stuck in his mouth. Connie stifled a giggle as she put her hand to her mouth in order to not disturb him. She traced the minor twitches from his brows and the short, cut off growls that reverberated from his throat. They were more like low pitched whimpers.

She sat down and crossed her legs, watching him as he made more silly noises in his sleep. Her parents were never this entertaining. Their brows were constantly furrowed, perhaps more of a less closing their eyes for a short while as opposed to actually sleeping. Though...a word escaped his lips in the faintest of whispers that caught her entirely off guard.

"Dad...."

Her heart almost stopped as her eyes widened. His body started convulse slightly as his head shifted around, then his entire body turned around as Connie anxiously watched, unsure of what she should do in this situation. He was dreaming about his own father. Maybe he was lost like her parents were perhaps.

Connie remembered what her dad did when she had dreams like this. Nightmares, they were called. Plenty of those to be had when the depth of the dreamer went too far back into dwellings of the ancient, scarred spiritual lands. Calls of the lost and of the fallen in the old world that failed to save it. Regret. Guilt. Connie wasn't there to witness the horrors of old, but if the spirits were angry they would haunt you in the deepest of sleeps. Which made it more important one didn't fall too far in the midst of their dreaming.

Rest light, dream light.

While it was easy to fall into the traps of peaceful slumber, a wistful one would be preferred. It kept one on the constant state of alert. It was the life of a wandering spirit, after all. Another unwritten rule in the long term. 

Eventually he stopped....and begun to snore. Connie kept this to herself for now, but her curiosity for the man grew larger than she had anticipated. She quickly ducked out of his room and into hers and went back to bed.

She had time to figure him out eventually. 


	4. Clean Colours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie and Steven find another temple...with interesting surprises.

**Lesson 4: Never waste water.**

They returned to their travels in their hunt for the Temple of Obsidian. Following the map, they continued east towards another dot nearby. This was in a deep valley of sorts, hidden by daunting, dark mountains where the clouds were even darker. The winds were surprisingly still here so not a lot of dust was being blown around which allowed them to take off their goggles to see a bit more clearly. Before they could traverse through the nearby Hollow Woods, they hid behind a large rock, as they could see something rolling around in the distance. Steven rested his index finger in front of his lips to warn Connie to be quiet while they observed it. It was a rounded creature with spikes, half pink and half green that bounced about. Steven tilted his head, trying to figure out a way of how to deal with it.

Connie had only the experience with the worm monster by this point and even then, this thing didn't look as tough as it did. She went to go charge it, thinking she'd be able to take it on by herself as she ran in to fight it with her scimitar, only for it to glare at her and suck in all the air around it, making it bigger. Connie skidded to a halt, realizing her mistake as it then blew it out in a huge gale. Connie would have been thrown, if not for Steven running it front of her and summoning his shield to protect them from it. He then ran towards the monster and continued to use his shield to counter any attack from it, including the spikes that it shot out. Connie was left dumbstruck, though sense returned to her as she jumped back up and used the distraction provided by Steven to ram her blade into it's body. The monster seemed surprised by it, instantly dissipating as a result. However, one of the spikes hit her left arm as a result and had her falling down on her back. She sat herself up, then hissed as she touched the spike in question. 

Steven then picked up a small object off the ground and crushed it into a fine dust in his hand. Connie watched as the dust turned into energy as he lifted his top, while the energy poured into a pink gemstone located on his navel. He let the top fall as he turned to Connie and helped her off the ground. He looked at her worry. He wasn't angry at her at running in and potentially getting herself killed, she had that covered; angry at herself for not taking better caution with it. She sheathed her blade away, then looked down in shame. To her shock, he lifted her chin with his finger to force her to look at him. Connie felt her cheeks warm up in shades of pink considerably as he hooked eyes with her and after a slice of time, donned his sunny smile.

She couldn't explain what he had just done to her in those few seconds, as a surge of goodness knows what swam around inside, churning her something fierce. She swallowed as he grabbed her hand all of a sudden as the pair ran through the Hollow Woods in a few simple, swift motions.

They were going in the direction of the Micro-Temple, as Connie looked up in the grey-brown skies as they became darker and the mountains in the distance that became closer with every moment. If Connie didn't keep up her pace, Steven would have been dragging her all the while they ran through. Eventually they saw a break in their sights while a familiar set of squarish, faded navy and dusted stone ruins came into their vision. It sat in the middle of a deep hole, perhaps several meters more deep than they could examine as Steven jumped in first. Connie stood on the edge while Steven turned to her and raised his arms and hands, then donned his now iconic grin. He wanted her to jump too?

Connie trusted Steven, so why was she suddenly hesitant? She took a deep breath and moved back to get a good running start. She then ran forward and jumped upwards and landed straight into his gigantic arms. She looked at him while he held her, to where he gave her a smirk which struck another charge through her body, before he gently let her down. Connie became embarrassed by the whole ordeal and walked towards the Temple in a huff as she had a face that could only be matched by the monster they just fought; complete with puffed up cheeks in her irritated state.

Once at the Micro-Temple, Steven placed his hand on the console, like before as the door slid upwards. Going inside, they set up camp for another night.

They sat down once they were settled in to this place, Which was larger than the previous temple they were in. Steven tended to her wound as they stripped down to their basics, revealing her whole arm to him up to the shoulder. Connie stared intently into the yellow fire itself as she crossed her forearms, anxiously waiting in anticipation for the oncoming pain. Steven tried to be careful as he had a pair of pliers in his hand from his own gear and clamped down on the spike. Steven took a deep breath as to motion Connie to do the same. She did so, as her shoulders rose in response to her inhaling. In one swift pull, the spike was out, leaving Connie with a cut off gasp with the short stint of pain she suffered.

The wound looked deep, but Steven knew exactly what to do, although Connie had never seen this been done before. He licked his palm, much to her consternation and general grimace written on her face as he slapped his slobbered hand onto the wound itself. Connie shivered from the sudden splash, though as Steven moved his hand, the wound stitched itself in a series of sparkles and magical phenomena which amazed her, her eyes widening in the aftermath.

Steven, now being the one with the deposition of a mythological God of Happiness, smiled as Connie was left stupefied by his power. This had to be how he healed her last time.

They had a small meal that consisted in tearing off strips of beef jerky as the pair sat in silence and reminisced about todays events. Connie couldn't stop thinking about how useless she felt about it all. She had her sword and she destroyed the monster this time. Perhaps that was why Steven wasn't angry with her that she actually had some use and wasn't a complete dustling; considered slang for creatures so small and worthless. 

The yellow fire they created illuminated the walls, which revealed more detail about the cavern inside the temple itself. Connie used her glowing bracelet to look at the finer detail herself, with curiosity biting at her hard. She saw a rectangular square which had two circles above and next to it, one on the left and one on the right. Moving on to the next panel, indicated something coming out of the the circles themselves; pouring out into the rectangle. Connie rubbed her chin and tried to figure out what it all meant. Signs of the old civilization perhaps?

She looked at Steven and contemplated his powers, not to mention the odd gemstone on his stomach. Was he...one of them? Maybe? Perhaps a descendant of the civilization? Was it right for her to tangle into that kind of discussion? Maybe not. Connie wanted answers her parents could never give her about certain events in the past. Just...that Connie had never seen the rain before.

A purse of the lips and the spin of her step had her attempting to question Steven whether or not he knew anything about this at all. While the thought of him playing with that purple bear amused her, she had to muse on more important matters. She tapped him on the shoulder and pointed towards the wall behind them. He blinked twice out of blanked out confusion before getting up and having a good look at the drawings himself.

Steven focused on them for the brief moment, his eyes stretching back and forth as he attempted to figure it out for himself. He turned to her, with her eager to see if he got it...only him to raised his hands and shrug his shoulders. Connie sighed, getting herself amped up for nothing. Figures...she should have expected to be disappointed. Steven leaned on the other wall behind him, saddened by the prospect of being unable to answer Connie's question. It was then a square part of the wall behind him started to glow pink, as the temple started to shake. Steven himself lost his grip as he fell over while the back wall slowly slid upwards. Connie held onto the other wall on the opposite side and watched as a bluish glow filled the air.

Once the quaking stopped, Connie found herself even more amazed at what was in front of her. A room, devoid of any dust or dirt and of the most pure of blue stone architecture. Stone half pipes were on either side of the room which started to pour water by the gallon...water into the glowing square hole down below. Her and Steven stood there as it happened, jaws dropping in absolute astonishment as to what they were witnessing right now. Perhaps they had thought colour was their enemy and they could protect themselves by dulling their own in ends, turning themselves as faded spirits as to avoid the obvious contrasts that could kill them. In that moment, the colour called blue radiated what could be called, a bright sun of burning cascade. Connie had never even seen the sun. She could afford to open up the dams and cry; with her sparkling tears pushing through the dirt on her cheek like a microscopic river flow.

Her father once said to never waste any opportunity to use any water they had. Connie was taught to be super conservative...but this...she checked back with the book and flipped through the pages to see that this was considered to be a Sacred Oasis. A place of pure water. This had be have been constructed by the old civilization for sure. Connie put the book away and went towards the pools edge and squatted down. She could see her reflection as the water rippled. She hesitated for reasons unknown, though it had most been a mixture of awe and the disbelief that this was happening. The way of the dreamer to find the most important of treasures. But eventually, she touched the waters surface, instantly feeling the cool chill. Connie could barely contain her excitement as she ran back to Steven to hug him, wrapping her arms around him as he was indeed their savior all of things. Steven didn't budge, as Connie failed to notice that his face went a blush pink in response to her glomp, though if he was in a position to understand it, he didn't actually mind the hug at all. It made him smile all the wider.

* * *

The first things they did, once they got over witnessing the most impossible moment of all impossible moments, they took the time to take advantage of this situation. Connie simply dunked her head into the water and took huge gulps of water for as much she could drink. Steven mimicked her. In perfect synchronization, they threw their wet heads out , sat back in a relaxed position and sighed with content and laughed at each others drowned looks.

Connie refilled her canteens, as did Steven. There were often some kind of refills whenever they visited abandoned townships, draining old preserved wells dry. Connie also restocked with cleaning agents when ever she could find them, although she never had the chance to use any of the stuff like sponges and the like. Her parents promised her once that when they could find somewhere that just had enough, that she could properly bath. It saddened her that while they never had the chance to fulfill that promise, she couldn't blame them. She just wanted them here, to share this rare moment with them. Instead, she had someone else to remember this with her. He was...he was just as...

She looked at Steven, who was sitting by the pool, with his eyes trapped in its perpetuating and attractive radiance, his expression pensive. Her eyes traveled to how his hand arched over his gut, where his gem was. He was just as surprised at this as she was, within his haven of the unaware...or if the secrets laid there for him to discover on his own, to where he needed to be in this barren, forsaken land. He barely voiced anything about his past to her. While Connie held such a devouring hunger to know about the world of before, she had to respect the one whom didn't mind letting her travel with him. So far, it had been entirely worth it.

The next set of actions she took was to get undressed, taking all of her gear off, down to her black bra and underwear and let her long black hair fall out of its ponytail. She grabbed the yellow sponge and black bottle of soap and white bottle of shampoo from her bag and approached the pool. Steven himself found himself staring at her, as she became fixated on even getting to touch the water with her now bare foot. She tapped it and watched the circles ripple about. She took her foot back as she got down, then sat on the edge of the pool and allowed her legs to dangle and become enveloped in the most satisfying sensation she had in a long time.

Steven swallowed and caught himself looking at her for a long while. eventually realizing this and gave his head a subtle shake to snap out of his bizarre trance. Connie looked at him with her own, curved smile and a powerful flame instantly hit his chest in response. He wasn't sure what to think. This...pain had him thinking too much. He attempted to clear the clutter from his brain, as Connie leaned forward and traced the water in figure eights with her index finger. She then leaned back and patted the space next to her. Steven curtly nodded, getting the idea as he got up himself and stripped down to his yellow boxer shorts and echoed her prior movements. The toe dips, the squat and the eventual shuffle of legs that slowly slid inside. 

Both of them made slow kicks together, to see the water as it moved about in the pool and took in the rest of the design. The glows hit the stone roof in beautiful, spotted patterns and portrayed intricate designs of white lines both symmetrical and asymmetrical, straight and diagonal in direction, that were carved into the blue stone. Connie found herself glancing at Steven's thick body, with her eyes eventually meeting up with his shining, pink gem that reflected the pools light in its facets, giving off its unique glimmer.

Steven ended up shifting himself in first, eventually put his whole body into the water itself. Connie had never swam in her life. Obviously never had the chance. He kept his head above the water while he waved his arms and hands about and made slow kicks in the water to keep himself afloat. He swam to Connie's legs and in that spur of randomness, grabbed her legs and pulled her in without warning. Connie panicked as she splashed about, until Steven took her hands and showed her how to at least be able to keep herself afloat too. She breathed heavily as her heart raced and eventually calmed down as he demonstrated both his movements to her. She picked it up eventually, but he held onto her hands while she practiced her leg movements, looking at his long legs. She got it eventually, though she knew she was trying too hard and allowed her own kicks to slow in a particular way that was neither too fast or two slow, but enough to keep her bobs minor. He let go of one hand and showed her how to wave her arm around like he did. Like with the legs, she took the time to absorb what he was teaching and in no time flat, she was able to keep herself stable.

His grin struck her again as he swam around her, leaving her to unable to suppress her giggles. She hadn't had this much fun before. Her eyes were then drawn to the sponge, soap and shampoo bottles she left by the side of the pool and had an idea. Taking the sponge itself and pouring out the greenish goo from the soap bottle, she started the process of using the water to clean herself, to get the mostly stubborn bits of dirt off her body and legs, enjoying the bubbles that the soap created in reaction. Steven could do with a bit of a good scrub so she decided on a whim and tended to him first to get all those hard to reach places. They went to the shallower end that allowed her to stand on the floor without problem, though he was a bit taller than her, towering over in a sense that could have been intimidating, but it wasn't. He stood in front of her, with the lower end of his chest still in the water. He kept his smile up as she made the ritual of pouring the soap on the sponge, dipping the sponge then beginning the process like a simple ritual. The glows allowed her to see the little scratches and scars that adorned his skin, perhaps from prior battles which had her believe he'd been fighting for a long time against the monsters himself. She was careful as she eventually made her way downwards towards his gem. The unconscious part of her mind wanted to touch it, but she stayed her hand away from it, unsure of it was a sensitive aspect of his unusual body, especially if he wasn't human at all. She went back up to his arms eventually, as she had him raised them in a horizontal fashion so she could get every possible nook and cranny, but took careful consideration into the view shade of his muscled biceps.

She made her way to his well toned back and helped him in places he couldn't reach, both below and above. It was then she noticed something burned or tattooed on his back, beneath the dip of his neck. An almost triangular icon with a small dash on each side that matched an icon in the book, that had some kind of odd text under it with numerous thick and thin black lines that resembled bar codes on wrapped or canned food products. Connie stopped, unable to help to stop herself from touching, just stopping shy of a few inches at Steven turned his head. She instantly pulled back and tried to pretend like she didn't just attempt to touch a possible sore spot. It made her incredibly more inquisitive about him.

Instead, while she wore a sheepish grin, she handed him the sponge and soap and requested he clean her now. Steven smiled, more than happy to do so in response. She didn't realize what she had gotten herself into as he attempted to do the same to her as she did to him; starting off with her chest. Connie found herself deeply breathing through her nose as he lightly scrubbed her neck, to her sternum. Perhaps the fact she had her bras on to prevent him from cleaning her...well, breasts, made him a tad confused and disgruntled. Had he ever met a woman like her before? Was he used to seeing someone of the opposite sex? His face went redder than normal as he squeezed the sponge a little too hard as all he could do is stare and think. It made her realize that this must have made him feel incredibly awkward and in that moment Connie instantly felt horrible. She then had an idea. She turned around, then slipped the sleeves off her shoulders and unhooked her bra and kept it in her hand, so he could still wash her without having to be so shameful as for his eyes to be narrowing in on her extra...ahem...attributes.

She shrugged her shoulders and pulled her hair around her neck as to portray her full back and shoulder blades, telling him to continue without worrying about it. She heard him take a deep breath as he got closer and eventually worked on her back for now. She could hear that his breath had become bated, eventually feeling it on her neck almost as a slight chill, but more pleasant than the dusty, razor winds of the outside world. He wasn't too close, but enough for her to notice how nervous he was about it all. Connie herself wasn't without those same nerves, but she kept them aside and to eventually become used to this new and invigorating experience. After all, when would they ever get the chance to do this again?

Connie's own heart began to beat harder and faster than normal, with her gut churning as he went slowly in some places, especially with her arms and eventually coming back to her chest, to where gently went over her left breast, which Connie, while she dared herself not to move at all while he did so, only looked down with her arms as he put put slight pressure on it as it came over her nipple and when it slid off of her, her breast popped out slightly. He did the same with her right breast, with bubbles covering her more so as the soap trailed down her now cleansed, wet skin; meaning he must have put too much soap on than what he intended.

Was it...wrong to enjoy this? Connie wasn't so sure. She certainly didn't mind, as he went under the breasts, then to her stomach. He wanted to probe further, it seemed, whether or not it was intentional or something else. They'd already spent enough time to became acquainted and noted as the strangers they no longer were...they had become friends? Did...friends do this to each other? Connie wondered. She felt odd inflections below the waist that had begun to twist her core immensely. It wasn't painful, but it was certainly a type of flame that lingered there when ever they were near. Him....touching her like this made it profoundly potent, to where she became interested in exploring where it could lead her. It could lead him...if he felt the same way. He had to feel the same way...his responses weren't the same however...so what ever could she expect from him?

Steven licked the sweat off his lips, trying to find something that either was or wasn't there. His focus was two-fold: His ability to indirectly touch her curves and to reap in the sensation of another woman so foreign to him under the barrier of the sponge. The other was to absorb his current view of her dark brown skin and took in her barely scarred body. She was markless...a sense of how free she actually was. She was inexperienced in battle but eager. She definitely had a fire in her belly that had wanted to escape. His dad once told him that to keep an eye on those who could take advantage of him, but to keep those who he feels he can trust and Steven trusted Connie by the light of her sweet, pure chocolate eyes. Another luxury he longed for some day. For now her being there satisfied any cravings he had. Except the one pinged from downwards, to his worry.

After that pulse beating session and washing off all the soap, Connie put her bra back on and went to work on cleaning her hair; grabbing the shampoo bottle and pouring it on her head. So many knots as she dug her fingers into her scalp. It was then Steven swam around her. Connie thought that he was going to use the shampoo himself, instead, for what ever reason, pulled her hands away with little force, then worked on doing it for her. Electricity ran through her with his in depth touch, his thick fingers massaging her while she closed her eyes, It felt better than she expected it to, as he went cautiously slow in doing so, almost at an agonizing pace, that allowed her to take in the pleasure. The pang returned to her chest, as a hum of content vibrated her throat. Purely by accident as she felt Steven shiver as his hands quaked in that sudden brief moment. It felt good. Too good.

She slowly moved away and dipped her head in to wash out all the shampoo. When she was done, she could see Steven standing there, stiff as he had one hand on the other, resting in front of him as he puffed his cheeks, looking away in a pit of nerves. It was his turn, after all. Connie took the initiative as she went to the side and grabbed the shampoo bottle, then grabbed Steven's arms and managed to get him to go in front of her. She briefly popped out of the pool and sat on the ledge as his sheer height made it impossible for her to reach his head otherwise. She pulled him closer to her legs and he was still kind enough to allow her to move him like she did, like a cooperative piece of furniture, to a position down the pool where she was the right height to wash him. She collected water in the palms of her hands and poured it on top of his hair, with the drops that trickled down his neck, mesmerizing in a artsy, patterned kind of way. She poured the shampoo on his head and allowed the fingers to remonstrate his head like an stringed instrument.

Like a good song writer, Steven took in everything he could and tried to put it in words, but failed, only knowing the tune but none of the lyrics. Her touch became the melody however and not all songs had to have singing. Just embracing the mix of all the different components that came together. Or maybe he was getting it wrong. It wasn't a song...it was a painting and her fingers were all those tiny, tiny brushes he'd seen, slapping on chimes of wonderful colors that weren't antagonistic in the slightest.

He knew someone who used to paint and it reminded him of her. The sight of the continued glows that surrounding them was simply...art. Art that used to give feeling and meaning. Ugh...Steven couldn't describe squat. He just had to admit he liked having her cleaning his hair. He liked the way she moved her fingers cross his head and the squishy sounds that it made when it all moved up above him. He liked it...too much, unable to suppress a soft, broken moan born from the rippling sensation. Suddenly there was a still, fragile air that was born as Connie stopped entirely, remaining frozen. He heated up and rubbed his cheeks and became annoyed at the lack of self control on his part. Steven heard Connie's slightly shaken breath from behind him, her inhales a little too fast and sharp to be considered normal. Steven gulped, then waited for a bit as Connie removed her fingers and poured more water on his head to get all the shampoo out.

The two had this awkwardness between them now and neither of them had any idea on what to do about it. They couldn't face each other as they eventually left the pool and went back to the campfire and got dressed in haste. They allowed the heat to dry them as the pair sat on their respective sleeping bags and had their eyes drilling into the yellow flames. Yellow...yellow the colour of the dull and yet the colour of the bright. Faded and light. The yellow that could cleanse just was as water could as it brushed off the darkness.

Why were they scared of each other? The noises, that had a certain aspect to them, triggered ferocious charges neither had felt before. Painful yet not entirely unpleasant. Colors of blue that covered behind them and the colours of yellow in front of them. Each with their own, correlating spectrum of goodness know what that played with their minds.

They went to sleep that night, unable to figure it out what it all meant, as they had their backs to each other, away from the colorful enemies that they made for themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes that was Watermelon Tourmaline


	5. Noise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie resolves to make peace with Steven over the most complicated of situations.

**Lesson 5: Keep noise to a minimum.**

Connie didn't understand it at first. She wasn't so sure what came over her. Noises that threatened to send her deeper into the strangest parts of goodness knows what. It was new, it was strange and it was scary. Her parents didn't teach her anything about this so this was completely new. The concept of how these songs of another could affect her so deeply like they did. 

Their time at the temple would come at an end, however. They'd mark this place as special if they'd ever needed to return to this place of purity. A sanctuary, despite what it had done to both of them, they could agree on letting the matter slide when it came to the essentials it provided for them. Both were eager to leave to try and forget what had transpired, but the idea, the memory would stain their minds for the days to come. Just as the faded world would.

Their commerce was quiet enough as it was without the thick tension, creating the self-made space between them all the wider than it looked. Connie wanted to find out more, but she felt she'd scared Steven and no one told the other about what even went on back there.

The valleys were spread far during their travels, heading to the next dot which Connie could estimate might take them a few days to get there. The day was free from any monsters but devoid of anything else but the hollowest trees and the winds that Connie could swear that she heard them speak of their disapproval over her feelings. What perplexed her the most was...how did they know they did something wrong? Steven refused to speak about it, as usual and became distant without his iconic smile. All she could really look at were rocks, trees, dirt and sand and the odd patch of grass and the next piece of evidence that life once existed via the odd carcass or two or a dilapidated building. The most common sight in the land. Devoid of anything special. Bland. Boring. Faded shades. That instilled familiarity but at the same time, had Connie worried they were going around in circles at times when she was growing up. Her parents were the ones who showed her the way by pointing out specific land marks. A tall tree, a rock formation that looked like a creature etc. 

Connie hated these same sights over and over again and a little bit of hope was poured in when ever they found something new. Something exciting. Something that sparkled and was of a brighter color. Trivial perhaps and her parents would, again, indulge her desires from time to time. Desires. Her desires. Desires that changed and evolved as she grew. Where she grew out of having toys and jewelry but now it had all become this, twisted mess as to what she really wanted as telltale signs changed. She had the pink, glowing bracelet hidden in her pocket. It wasn't a desire for her, but it triggered nostalgia. Nostalgia for the younger days. Naive days.

It was a factor of growing up. Eighteen years in a sterile world that lacked the signs for her to cling on to that told her that what she felt was okay. Her parents would dictate that for her and while surviving from day to day was important, Connie felt...stunted. There was so much she wanted to learn but couldn't do so.

Now...Steven was his own being. Learning, fighting...like she. Connie wanted to learn from him; learn about him. So far, he seemed happy to have someone join in him on his journey, to see the world with the eyes of a friend. Where ever his mysterious mission was supposed to be. Connie had to make this right between them again, wanting to get out of that funk and out of that zone so they were able to be like they were before. But what could she say? Sorry? What for? Why should they feel sorry for something out of their control? 'Sorry that I made you feel...odd...?' Did she know that she would make him feel that way? It sounded like how she felt. So why deny themselves the chance to explore that which had never even been ventured into before?

Fear. Simple, heart stopping fear.

As far as what Connie could allow herself to understand to situation, anyway. Strong, intense reactions that had never occurred before. It was...not hurting them in anyway. So she had planned to discuss this with him that night, to let him know...maybe to say sorry? Well, it would be a start. He could apologize but he didn't have to. She wanted to lessen that tension and give that fundamental and theoretical thumbs up. But how?

Later that night they found an abandoned cabin, nestled before a dried up creek and within the thick trunks of old redwood. Trees that could scrape the sky if they could. It sat above the ground that a few steps that lead to the front porch. Inside was homely enough. Several rooms. Two bedrooms at the back, a bathroom on the left most side, with the kitchen on the right hand side and the lounge to the left closer to the front. The ritual of the nightly preparation took place as Connie took the left room and Steven the right, until it was time to make dinner. Funnily enough, the stove itself was hooked up to a gas cylinder on the outside which had enough left to cook the soup in a pot on top, Connie just had to use a match to get the flame to work. Any cylinder with an ample amount of gas to spare was rare unto itself.

The two sat in the old warn, green couches and ate their meal in the usual fashion; downing it within the figurative few seconds. Steven helped clean up, as Connie went to the bathroom and closed the door, a little too forcefully as she had her back against the door with her arms nailed to her sides, while made a slight hiss of regret for a silly mistake.

The fact she wanted some alone time surprised her. That this, unknown, unforgiving nagging voice in her head told her to stop being stupid and talk to him. Tell him...ask him if everything was okay. She put the bracelet on the faucet and used its light to allow her to see herself in the mirror. 

What had Connie become in the last few weeks that made her go from being the happiest girl on this dead world to the most angry and confused over the most trivial of issues was beyond her. This shouldn't be happening. She should be in there, sitting with him and talking. Why was that so hard for her to grasp? She hadn't seen her reflection since looking into the waters of the micro-temple. All she could note, was that she wasn't a little girl anymore. She'd rested her hands on her breasts...wondering how and why Steven felt them the way he did. Her mother had them...and handed Connie her first bra when she was about thirteen or so. Though neither of her parent would talk about the mysteries of both men and women, only that both were needed to create life and they created her out love and the need to see breath of their own creation. Life where only life could grow in this day and age.

The funny part of the sensations she experienced however...she felt...alive. Felt the charges of energy run through her like nothing else had. She was afraid of the feeling but she shouldn't fear being alive. She wanted to embrace it.

A look into her own steely eyes and a deep breath to resolve the strong but calm words that would need to come out of her mouth. She needed this. He needed this. How she would put it to him she didn't know. What ever natural flow would escape her lips and voice her shaken words. She'd stumble and she'd fumble...as long as she could put her point across...is what really mattered. She tucked her bracelet away and returned to the lounge, only to note that Steven had since disappeared. The right bedroom door had since been closed which caused a pang of anxiety to run through her chest and clogged her throat. She swallowed, with the fires of self-condemnation burning in her stomach, in the belief that perhaps, he thought she was angry with him. Nothing could be farther from the truth. She went to his door and went as far as hovering her hand over the knob. She held it over as it shook slightly, with her mind racing through all the thoughts that were powerful enough to restrain her from touching it...just like with his gem.

No, Connie....he had gone to bed. Do not make this worse than it already is. Her mind scoped over so much that told her how much of an idiot she was, how slow she was that she missed him before they had the chance to make amends. It could still be done, maybe...in the morning where they would wake up, semi-refreshed and ready for the day ahead. Heads would be clearer, brighter and would be good to have the sensation of peace between them to make the long days walk more bearable.

For now, she returned to her room, with olive wallpaper that had brown, flowery patterns and a rug to match on top of the floorboards. The bed frame was also made of wood and the mattress itself, comfort-wise she'd given it a seven out of ten, marking off points with the small torn part that poked into her back and forced her to shift into a position that didn't have her on top of it. She laid on her side, shrunk her body in and closed her eyes to drift off, to allow herself to witness her light dreams of lighter hues.

Though it could have been an hour or two into it, given that she can wake up in what felt like a few minutes had passed (it was hard to say), as she began to hear muffled noises from the next room. It started off as Connie thinking it was some kind of movement from outside as she batted one eye open as her honed ears focused in. Steven could have been moving around or something she could have ignored, but the sounds got louder, more distinct...and wet? She shuffled herself up as she bent in her knees and put an arm around them while she looked up at the wall. She squinted, seeing some kind of light that pushed through a hole she just realized was there. Logic would tell her not to investigate as to intrude on his slumber, but Connie couldn't help herself. It was just going to be a tiny peek right?

She moved over and crawled towards the tiny crack which was at a height she could sit comfortably at with her legs sprawled beside her as she looked through it. It felt...wrong to do so, but... she could see Steven there on the bed on the other side of the room with his back turned to her, leaning over as his arm moved back and forth. Her ears clicked onto the small whimpers and the tiniest of wet slicks. It was all it took for her mind to be sent racing and for her groin to react with a sudden shock to her lower circuit of nerves that flowed outwards from her core. Connie swallowed as her eyes widened, dipping back as she smacked her hand across her mouth to stop herself from gasping. 

Was he...did she just see what she thought she did?

His whimpers became long groans, cut in grunts and short gasps as the time between slicks became a bit faster. To say this was doing a bit to Connie herself would be considered an understatement, with her hearing entrapped within the cycle of what obscenities came from him alone, telling her heart to beat faster. She pursed her lips and closed her eyes tightly to try and disconnect but in that instant, those feelings from before returned in full force. Another hand went to her crotch as it caused her so much pain that she had found her hand pressing against the fabric of her pants. She tried to rub it away but somehow that made it even worse; sending spikes of a much stronger sensation exploding through her. What was going on?

Between hearing Steven in the other room and what it was doing to her confused Connie greatly. She admitted to herself that while it felt...good...great even despite how much torment it gave her, that with the intensity, she was worried that it could escalate to the point of no return. She rubbed faster, in the need to 'scrub' away the inflammation, but really to her it was impossible to state on how this would be considered good or bad in its entirety. It was...good...but bad...bad and good. Who knew? Steven certainly had to be trying to rub away a similar feeling himself, but...what prompted him to start that to begin with?

Before she herself knew it, Connie's mind was in the cage of her locked in thoughts, keeping her unaware that she had shifted herself against the wall with her legs bent and spread outward and was subconsciously slipping her finger beneath her pants and running tiny circles over her own clit. Her own finger against her own skin. Her body jolted in response and her toes curled and dug themselves into the mattress, while she breathed heavily through her nose and kept her mouth covered. Though her subtle moans that she could barely suppress eventually joined in with the chorus of Steven's indecipherable cries until the point where there was only one word in the song he made in a whispered, stuttered and desperate plea...

"C-Connie..."

A name that was hers and one heard a million times but not in the way he just said it. How a name could strike her down in a near instant, freezing her to the point where her previously left behind thoughts caught up with her, telling her the now obvious truth. Connie was foolish to think otherwise, but the notable fact of why was erased and replaced with inescapable line of thought that what she was doing now was exactly what Steven was doing. With a switch in her mind flipped, she decided she wasn't satisfied enough to stop there and to help her troubled mind she kept going, allowing herself to succumb to the flames as he did. Steven's moaning and panting lifted in volume, while Connie took it all in and allowed it all to build a scrunched up ball in her core; trying so hard to conceal her cries that were born from it. Her mind shot across to even the most tiny of tangible touches. If it wasn't him with his animalistic growls that commanded her finger as it started to rub herself more quickly, now that it was basically soaking down there, it was the rolling sweat down her cheek, or the tightening muscles in her stomach. Her breathing through her nose had intensified and it became impossible to determine if she had been making any noise what so ever. Steven then made one, final, long and if anything, incredibly colossal whine, whether or not he intended it to be, followed by a series of muddled puffs.

Eventually, her body roiled and swelled as she felt the fiery explosion from within, shortly after Steven had stopped. Her mind was transported to an ethereal place in the space of a few seconds, reeling in the absolute blurs from being pushed to the brink in the cusp of the considerable painful pulse that came from THAT alone. She took her hand out of her pants and with the glowing bracelet, noted how wet her fingers were and grimaced in disgust. 

What had she just done? Her mind went back to the unforgiving reality of how she just...did that. But he did it too, so Connie wondered....how they could do this each other? This was definitely disgusting...to allow this...preposterous event to occur.

And she liked it.

She liked it a lot.

Yet she felt so...

It wasn't long before she heard sniffing from the other room. With her ears still checking it, she went back to the hole and examined him. She could see he had shifted positions, now with his side to her. He had his knees up to his chest, as his body moved involuntarily to his sobbing. Steven was crying. 

Connie contemplated this...and was so entirely puzzled. She felt bad...he felt bad. For making himself feel good for thinking about her. Connie wasn't sad. She was angry at herself for taking advantage but...Steven had no idea. He didn't know. Did he? She was definitely thinking about him and thinking about him made her feel a way she'd never felt before and she wouldn't mind trying again personally. But this wrecked Steven. It had him upset over pleasuring himself over her. 

How could she possibly resolve this now. Her parents never spoke about this. Her parents only told her about how she was made and that was it...and how humans create other humans so that perhaps someday, she would be able to create her own. The books she read only told her so much as well. 

Right now, she kicked herself over not being able to help him. She couldn't barge in and say hey Steven it's okay I feel the same way and hug him like nothing had just happened. It for one, would be embarrassing for the both of them and that was the last thing Connie wanted for him. She wanted to see him smile again because while it made her feel warm inside, it told her that he himself was happy. He made her happy and she made him happy. Wasn't that worth preserving in the slightest?

Maybe he felt bad of taking advantage of her? His very thoughts traced boundaries never crossed and that to him, it was trespassing into very dangerous territory, to grunt like a monster. To be a monster. To hurt like a monster. Steven was certainly none of that. Perhaps he was worried he would hurt her? Connie couldn't say for certain. She wasn't afraid of his colours. He blended faded and brightness like it was nothing. Connie felt the guilt pour down her throat like mercury, burning it and clogging it up as it cooled. She was the monster here. So she had to make amends. She could still do so and it was within her power to do so. His sobbing soon stopped as she heard him snore. She smirked. Connie believed they would be okay and allowed herself to rest easy.

* * *

Morning came as they prepared themselves to leave the cabin. Steven waited for Connie outside as she finished packing her things and stood next to him on the front porch. He looked down at her with stern eyes, like he was looking for something. She responded by looking back him in turn. It didn't have to be as complicated as she made it out to be so she simply grabbed his hand and rubbed her fingers against his knuckles, then gave off a smile of reassurance. Steven's first reaction was that he was stunned with the small gap opening from his mouth, but then he eventually smiled back before they left, restoring the unspoken peace between them. It wouldn't be the exact same as before, but it was enough.

They both knew everything was going to be okay.


	6. Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie and Steven find an old antique shop.

**Lesson 6: If you find a better version of something you already have, replace it instantly.**

The rarest sense of serenity surrounded the pair. Steven felt horrible for what he had done the night before, but... the way Connie looked at him that morning, he prized the moment like the tension never existed. It wouldn't rob him of the way it ate away ate his conscience, but for now that part was full from the hopeful expression she fed it. 

The other night at the Micro-Temple was definitely something else. From her touching him, from him touching her, brought in the most unusual but not unwelcome feeling that had he been a part of. Though he had to think about how she felt over all of this. He had to have scared her with the way he acted back there. He couldn't face her properly and with what had transpired that evening at the cabin. Although Steven was pleasantly surprised that Connie had forgiven him for what sins had he had committed. He was under the belief that it generally started at the Micro-Temple after their bath, or even prior when he first saw her strip down to her underwear, seeing her skinny, brown, curved form for the first time. She slept soundly that night, but Steven didn't. He couldn't sleep, not with the horrible urge down there crying for attention. He hated it. He didn't want to feel this way. But the remembrance of rubbing her, feeling her underneath the sponge and the way his mind just made the decision to linger around her breasts had him annoyed that he pervaded her trust. She may not have said or done anything, but..he couldn't help it when she rubbed his scalp that it felt so, darn good that the noise that came out was unintentional and as soon as he felt her hesitation, he knew he screwed up immensely.

Keeping that distance between him and her allowed him to ensure that he wouldn't be tempted to do what he did but that just made it worse. After she stormed off into the bathroom and slammed the door, Steven understood it more clearly.

He'd tried to sleep again that night, tossing and turning in the hunt for that special spot of dreaming, but...the urges grew worse and at this point he couldn't deny it. Connie was resting in her room so he went to work on relieving himself in the interim, so as to ease his throbbing ache and his troubled mind.

His dad always said he was a growing boy and that it was a normal process for him to feel a certain way and that it was actually healthy for him to do so. So he was glad that it wasn't anything to be ashamed of. But what made him feel bad was that it was about the girl in the next room, so innocent, so pure. So special. A girl that popped into his life and that became his first real friend outside of...well, _that_ place that he never wanted to return to but one day he would. Connie could help him save the others, with that the light in her strong and tenacious and it was just what he needed.

But to even think of her and to touch himself in that way where he imagined her feeling him again made him go hard very quickly. He must have been sick, so he went at it until he came hard and to his eventual horror, didn't intend for himself to cry out so loud and became worried Connie would awaken from it. He didn't hear anything thank goodness, but...a wash of sorrow and regret soon took over like a fog as he begun to cry. He didn't want to do this and he certainly did not want Connie to think less of him. He imagined her finding out and running off, leaving him alone. He didn't want to be alone. Not anymore.

* * *

The next day arrived and interestingly enough, Steven felt good. His urges were curbed for now and he could travel with a less troubled mindset. Connie touched his hand and with that gesture, Steven felt the tension wash away into the blue lights of yesterday, throwing out the dirt of his doubts for that brief, sincere moment in time.

They were then out of the valleys and on a road that went through the middle of a former township. A pit stop. So the pair scoured for supplies and noted how most of the buildings here were surprisingly intact. The gas station had a few cans of food which was good. Corn...even cups of noodles he'd love to try. He's never had noodles before.

One building to note was an old antique shop that had scores of old, dusted furniture and clothes. Score. Perhaps something old to become something new to them. It was dark save for the small amount of light that came from several holes in the roof above that showed off the dust that swirled around the place. One thing he'd hoped to find was another instrument...for Connie.

She enjoyed him playing his ukulele and he loved every inch of the joy she portrayed from her smile and her body language. Only, if he could find out what she liked. For now, she scanned around, finding old squeaky toys and contraptions that made her laugh and him laugh along with her, not realizing how infectious her chuckles were and what they did to his heart.

It was then they'd come across a glass cabinet that was locked up, but held a violin within it. Connie's face was practically against the glass itself, squishing her cheeks against it. She looked it in a way that told Steven everything. He gestured Connie to move as he wrapped his fist in torn up cloth, then smashed the glass itself, then pulled out the violin and the bow and presented them to her. Moving away from the debris, Connie could only stare in amazement as she held them in her hands, her eyes practically sparkling and unable to believe what was going on. In this desolate place, they'd found hope within song. Tears formed from her eyes as she struggled to compose herself. Steven was just glad she found something that made her happy..which made him happy in return.

They did snag a few bits and pieces, small enough for them to carry but enough, as Steven ended up finding a less worn pair of black boots and chucked out his old pair that had since had this irritable hole on the sole on the left boot that kept getting dirt in it. Connie found another soft toy. A soft, pink lion plush that she'd decided to tuck away into her bag. 

They'd decided that this was the place they were going to stay in for the night, as they'd moved furniture around and found a red couch that folded out into a bed. Steven was content on letting Connie have it, as he stuck with a regular brown leather couch nearby. The floor was made of concrete so it definitely was not something either were keen to have their sleeping bags on. Preparing their dinner for the night consisted of Connie mixing in the corn with the noodles as she had handed Steven his bowl and fork. She watched him as he slurped the noodles and giggled when he had one that ended up slapping him in the face, much to his confusion. 

After dinner, Steven urged Connie to play with the violin as he played his ukulele, though was incredibly keen to hear her play it. He'd never heard it before so he was generally excited to hear it for the first time. She was a bit nervous as she rested the instrument underneath her chin. She took the bow and adjusted herself to a comfortable position to play then took a deep breath.

The composition started off slow as she glided the bow above the strings in such an elegant fashion, a performance give to the way it moved about like it was its own unique dance. His hears picked the notes as he took his ukulele into his own hands and surmised her flowing, lengthy melody, in order to figure out how to synchronize and harmonize with her freeformed expressions.

To some, it would be strange. They were both stringed instruments but two completely different sounding ones. One to call upon the innocent chimes of better days, the other to cultivate the drones of sadness and yet, together, they made their song of hope in the widest of contrasts that blended in so well together. Steven couldn't help but watch her, multitasking between seeing her so focused, her brows furrowing while the pacing of notes quickened, purposefully increasing the time signature.

It was like they had transported themselves into another world entirely. The colors in the song that gave birth to new emotions, to new ways of portraying what had once been and could, maybe, if they continued, to show the world not to be afraid of transforming itself back to how it was. Or at least that's how his dad put it. Steven had no idea. He was born into this so he had no other way of knowing. 

He would find color and song again at the Temple of Obsidian and those there, they would help him find a way to save the world.

Melancholy would find him again, though, hope was seeping through, day by day. And the one who sanctioned the reason to find that way sat in front of him, giving him the reason, the rhyme as to why this world needed to be saved beyond all he'd already known he had to protect. Those he couldn't protect. The music began to dig into the depths of memories most unwelcome, pulling away the nails as it brought up so many faces...so many faces he had almost forgotten about in his travels. Those who haunted his dreams. Those who would continue to haunt his dreams.

His eyes had dropped to the floor without him knowing. Steven told him to continue to focus on Connie's face. A face that was still focused, resonating with his own needs. To focus. But...to strum the tiny strings with his giant fingers, it came naturally to him. It came naturally like it did. The song missed something. It lacked something. What did it need? Why did they need it? Wasn't this enough to go on?

Steven's Dad told him that some songs required stories and inspiration. But...that wasn't it. He played to Connie's rhythm. It was her story and he was inspired by it. Even if he had never known it properly, only that they had the same goal in mind. That this would be their song instead. A song of their own inspiring goals.

Or they could play dedication to noodles, soup or beans or beef jerky. Looking at an empty jar of jam that sat on a shelf nearby. That too.

* * *

They went to sleep shortly after, stripping down to their basic shirts and shorts, content with the night they had created together, with Steven waiting, like usual, until he could hear the soft breathing that Connie only made when she'd gone to sleep. He noticed it after the second night, like how he noticed a lot of things about Connie, bit by bit. He had his back to her again as he tried to make himself comfortable on the couch. He could have taken the fold out, for reasons that only surrounded his large body, but...

The world turned from the faded to the darkest shade, pouring his mind into dreams of color he usually had. Tonight was different. Flowers were black and white, that turned to ash as the wind trickled them away in swirls of the gusts. No...not that again. Anything but the black and white flowers.

His vision was blurred, but he knew the fire that reached into the heavens. He knew the screams. He knew which scream belonged to what face. He knew everyone there. It was impossible to not know him. It was not possible to ignore him.

Steven could hear his dad calling him name. Repeatedly. He remembered the stomping as it echoed, the calls for help being cut off by the sounds of spears being driven into peoples backs. 

Not this dream again. He hated this dream. The songs of the violin and what Connie had played muffled most of the noise out but it wasn't enough to take away the eyes of the tall, orange one with the shiny pointy gem on her nose who pulled onto his arms. The dream ended the same way when ever they summoned their crash helmet and slammed him. The violin was louder now, like it was another voice that called his name. He could see the world in flames...and all the bodies that were whisked away in the same ashes as the flowers, like they would burn exactly the same way. 

His heartbeat intensified but the violin continued to spurn him on...telling him to fight. The orange one would not let go. No...not tonight. Not again. No more. He had enough of her and pulled himself out of his grasp. He grabbed her and slammed her onto the ground in a swift movement as he braced for impact, closing his eyes as he pull all his weight onto her and roared out his anger like a lion.

Next thing he knew, he'd spread his eyes wide, seeing Connie's stunned expression before him. Her breath was bated and jittery, while her body shook in fear. It took Steven a moment to realize he was on top of her, having his hands clasping on her arms and his knees beside her straightened legs. Connie laid as still as a plank, with her worried, widened eyes taking in the light from the hole in the ceiling nearby. 

His heart continued beat with such a fast motion as it could have escaped from his chest if it decided to. Connie remained locked onto his every movement. Steven couldn't think properly, his mind going from corner to corner in his skull to scope out his next action. He then noted his hands on how incredibly tight their grip was on her. He shot back as he let go and raised his hands and fell onto this knees as he shuffled backwards. His surroundings were now the wooden, oddly stacked furniture that circled around them. Furniture that would burn like anything else.

Steven's head fell, as he looked into the palms of his quivering hands. He'd hurt her. He'd hurt again. Connie's slight shuffle against the ground while she sat up scared him as he withdrew. Contrite returned to his chest and rose up as his thoughts plucked away at the same patterns and same phrases again and again. Steven you idiot. Why did you do that?

Connie herself, while cautious of much, shook her head and attempted to get close to him as she crawled over and reached out to him with her hand. Steven withdrew further, moving himself away. No...he couldn't risk doing this again. He couldn't hold the sobs back, sniffing and crying. More stuff out of his control, like the monster he was. They were getting better and he served to make matters worse.

Just like before.

Connie pulled her hand back as she sat back on her own knees and face fallen into more concern for him than of fear. She stood up, her face turning to that of determination as she walked over and snatched his hand, startling him. She'd pulled him back to his feet and allowed him to tower over her. She looked up at his sullen expression, then pointed towards her bed with the strongest whip of her index finger. She'd demanded him to sleep on her bed.

What an unusual request...but Steven complied, imagining it that Connie maybe wanted to sleep on the couch instead? Did he give the impression that he was uncomfortable on the small leather couch? Maybe. He'd slept on worse. So that couldn't be it.

Standing at the end of the bed, Steven looked at it. It certainly looked comfy enough. He'd surrendered to Connie's commands, figuring that if he did what she wanted, she wouldn't hate him as much for hurting her. He'd have to make up for so much now. So, he eventually crawled onto the bed, sitting on it with his legs out and had his back on the bed head. He wanted to wait until Connie went to the couch, so he had the focus back on her. Though what came next was staggering.

Against all logic, old and new, Connie put one knee on the bed, then the other as she slowly crawled on, not once taking her determined eyes off until she sat next to him and crossed her arms. There was this incredible charge from her stare alone that struck Steven with something chronic; a power that could destroy him if she wanted it to. Within that chronicle, was the twist of every emotion thrown in for good measure, so he fell into the well of her mercy, her control. Steven would punch himself in the face if she only but ask.

His breathing increased as he swallowed, with the anxiety flaring up in his stomach as she continued on with her slight glare. He wanted her to do something, anything. He needed her word, her desire, her answer for him to relinquish his need for punishment. He felt heated and the sweat that curled fell down his forehead and curled around his brows was the result of all that.

It was painful enough as it was, just...her continuous examination of him. Was she waiting for him to do something? To make a move? Steven swallowed hard until she eventually slid downwards and allowed her head to rest on the pillow. Finally. It was only a few minutes, but felt like an eternity. Steven followed suit and mimicked her, resting his hands on his stomach. Another minute, until she took one of his hands into her own and interlocked their fingers together, sliding off his body and resting their hands into the crevice between their bodies. He tilted his head to look at her, seeing that she had done the same and portrayed a sincere smile, devoid of any potential hatred or negative emotion.

A new hunger emerged with her touch that streamed like warm water from his hand to his chest, causing him to react with his other hand that popped in the sudden reaction. Connie shifted a moment late and removed her hand. Steven remained frozen in place as she went to her side and shuffled closer and rested her other hand on his chest and linking with that one instead. Steven swallowed for the umpteenth time with his nerves continuing to eat away at him. Connie was never the closer than she was right now, sliding her body against his side. One aspect he did take note of, was her own, quickened breathing. It took Steven to listening to that to realize that she was just as tense as he was. In the answer for near clarity and to allow her to hear the song in his chest, Steven pulled up scraps of courage, slid his now free hand under her body and gently pulled her upper half onto it, which prompted a minor yelp from her mouth and allowed her head to sit above where his heart was. A move that he risked with stuttered, heavy breathing for sure and took a even greater risk as he breathed in deeply right before he slid his timid fingers through her scalp, albeit being gentle with the rubbing this time. 

With part of her chest on his, he could feel her racing heart as well. Could she feel the heat that radiated off his body as he felt it from hers? It was hard to say. He wanted the music from her lips with his ears pinned to her nearly inaudible gasps. She didn't seem to mind his fingers in her hair this time. Steven made sure to give the right amount of pressure as to not trigger any sort...response.

Steven could not deny how potent all of this was to his gut and how this one person had feel this entire symphony of emotions, including ones he'd never even experienced before. He heard her sleepy breathing once more, while he angled his head to see that she'd fallen asleep again. He relaxed somewhat, thankful that Connie was incredibly patient with his weird behavior. She looked at peace as a slight grin adorned her adorable face. Pangs of fire continued to strike as they did but ...they were the bass that gave off the deep acoustics, shrouding the depths silence in his heart that gave often gave way to overthinking.

He fell asleep, using her sweet, sleepy breathing as his lullaby; a concert to better dreams.


	7. Win/Lose, Loss/Gain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie and Steven explore the next temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter for a reason.

**Lesson 7: Cut your losses**

All Connie did was try to wake Steven up from an obvious nightmare. It was much worse this time, hearing him shift about and murmuring. Her eyes had shot open on his screams so, the only thing Connie could do was get him out of the battling world and back to the peace of the silent realm they resided in.

She'd gotten out of bed and made all the attempts to awaken him, namely, put her hands on him and it was only meant to be a harmless shake. What she didn't anticipate was his aggression, how his giant hands took hold and slammed her down hard on the ground. She was met with bloodshot eyes that coincided with his terrifying lions roar. Connie was simply his prey and she could do nothing to stop it. Only wait. She was absolutely petrified from top to bottom and unconsciously prepared for the worst. No. That was wrong. Her subconscious...it told her to wait. It was only a dream. Steven didn't mean to hurt her. His mind was still asleep in the night, waking up after the attack. Could she believe herself that she was prepared to wait? What if this was just her way of preparing to die? It was hard to tell. Death was commonplace.

Those thoughts would come after the incident and not during, with every skirmish her trails collided with ended up being for naught. She was scared. Steven reserved his strength for the monsters. And Connie was no monster. He saw her eyes and heard her shaken breath and changed his gears in that near instant; that spark from the grinding halt of realization. Connie was definitely not the monster.

A change of ammunition that fired off a fight response to a flight response that had him retreating from the battle he had unknowingly initiated. He was left cowering in fear of himself more so than her reaction. Connie tried and persisted. It frightened her yes, but she knew, she knew from all she had observed from Steven after all this time, that he would not try to hurt her on purpose. He was a big man. Tall man. A strong man. But a man that could smile above all the doom and gloom. The one who wanted to protect everything he could.

Now it was her turn to protect him.

Getting his stubborn butt on the bed required her to be stern, not soft. Yes what he did was...kind of painful? And that perhaps an equal amount of pain would suffice...not necessarily a punishment...though he wanted to be punished. Like before. He touched himself over her and Connie found that to be...shocking at first but...then she did the same thing. Did he know? It didn't matter. But now it did. It was definitely a matter that couldn't be explained other than taking advantage of situation that really, neither were well equipped to deal with in the first place. Steven would never say out anything out of pure shame and embarrassment. Only Connie could really say that what he did...could be right or wrong. So she said nothing. Pretending like it didn't happen.

This was different, however. Something did happen and neither could deny that in the slightest. If his nightmares were indicators of a troubling past, then it was Connie's self-sworn duty to find a way to aid him. For what battles he could not fight, she would fight for him. It was the only right thing to do. 

She hadn't had the expectations of would could be done in those circumstances, other than to comfort him and to be there for him. Connie's had nightmares, plenty of them. Only, she had her parents there to help her through those darkened nights. Now they were gone and her dreams were neither here or there. But Steven...

In a way, touching him in this way...wasn't the worst feeling in the world. Holding his hands felt nice. Cuddling him felt nice. To look into those...beady, hopeful eyes...that hurt. But hurt in a way, that told Connie a lot about what he wanted. Though him gently running his fingers through her hair. That felt nice too. Resting her ear on chest to listen to his racing heart; told Connie was just a scared little boy. She was just a scared little girl. 

So their common factors of being, unsure, uncertain in this faded existence of where they wanted to go with all of this. It told Connie over the series of their adventure that while she wanted to find her parents, that she'd been missing out on so much more. A lot could be read from books. Only so much more could be obtained out on the field in person. To ground ones self and see the truth with ones eyes.

To explore. To fight ones way through the world to reach for what you truly wanted. To know what could be known and to feel what could be felt. Everyone's journey...her mother said journeys are different for everyone and that some day, Connie would want to form the world for herself and find hers.

This was that...Connie knew. But...doing it alone...with no one to witness or to help her explore alternatives. It took her time to realize that just by having that one person with her, made all the difference.

What Connie wanted now, beyond their main goal, was to understand feelings she'd never felt before. All linked back to Steven once she connected the dots. What was this between them? Friends...associates...comrades in combat?

No. 

This was something different. Do friends make friends hearts beat faster when they're near? Do they instill this intense need to relieve aches and pains from unthinkable places at the trigger of a thought, a touch, a sound? A combination of all three?

It was hard to say when Connie never had friends to begin with. It was easier to admit that she honestly just wanted to no longer to go against the tide and just let the war against her feelings be lost and for them to go new places.

She woke up that morning in the near same position she was in the night before. Steven was still asleep, while she looked up at the faint rays of light from the crack in the roof. His hand was over her waist, holding her close. His heartbeat had mellowed considerably but he was at peace, going from the softness written all over his semi-fuzzy face. If she could, she'd stare at this all day; feeling the rise and fall of his chest and his breath through his nose. Connie had no qualms about admitting how much she liked this. A closeness unfounded but very much wanted.

But...the day of traveling was upon them and they couldn't spend all day like this. She let the matter slide. Maybe that night...maybe she could see...

Steven woke up not long after with the biggest yawn, then with lazy eyes saw Connie as she continued to stare him. He blushed instantly, but still could give off that smile that could save the world.

* * *

Today was the day that another Micro-Temple was within the days walking distance, gathering their things and hitting the dull open roads once more. This one trailed up a mountain side and was met with a heavy fog the higher they went. It had gotten much colder and the winds that howled around them merged with a slight whistle were like ghostly echoes. Humans liked the climb as challenge from what Connie had read in the past, but otherwise loathed it due to how much it would hurt their legs. So why this particular Micro-Temple was here had to be away from the weak and for those strong enough would be rewarded.

It wasn't all bad, so why were they complaining anyway? Connie's legs were fine, Steven's knees were fine, but it was equally exhausting. Once they could see the temple nestled near the top, a long gross creature with a multitude of legs and a string of light green gems attacked the pair, squawking all the while. Learning from last time, Connie allowed Steven to go first. Though it seemed to spit out some kind of corrosive goo that ate into the ground. Steven had to be extra careful in keeping his guard up as he summoned his iconic shield. Connie held on to her scimitar and was prepared to strike when there was an opening. Steven eventually had to run around it at first times since it's long body was able to make a circle around him as well. Connie was vigilant and willing to be more patient, but it came to a point before they had realized it, that Steven was actually wrapped up by the monster in the flash of a few seconds. He struggled and strained against the tight hold, which left Connie doing what she had to before it could shoot out its acid; she sprinted in, jumped and sliced its head clean off.

The creature poofed as Steven got himself together. He took the round lime sphere and crushed it like he did with the others and let its light be absorbed into his gem. Connie ran up to him and hugged him, making sure he was alright. Connie, in the trickle of a funny thought, would think Steven would much rather be squeezed by her. She laughed, He laughed, though probably for a different reason.

They both looked at the temple as Steven's brows furrowed. He looked at it for a while. Connie didn't find anything stranger than the other two the had visited already, although she was keen to explore it, to see what secrets the ancient civilization had in store. Connie waited until he opened it up, then both went inside when the door slid open.

Like the other ones they'd visited, it generally served as a means of a type of sanctuary of sorts. Connie was eager to check out more of what was in here, bringing out her glowing bracelet to check on the runes. Steven did the same with his blue one, investigating all the while in the hopes of finding anything interesting. To their delight, there were more drawings in this one, than the were in the previous two they'd visited. History of the world of before...ancestors...maybe.

All Connie could see were hieroglyphics instead of known human text. Definitely was some kind of otherworldly race that was here with humanity after all. She wanted to ask Steven if he understood the language so she turned around, only to see that he stood at the back wall and had his hand against it. He had the right idea, there could have been switch to a hidden room here too. She stood next to him and was about to open her mouth until she had a better look at what was there.

Outlined in white against the flat blue stone, were several figures. A small rounded figure, a tall thin figure and a tall, wide hipped figure that stood under a larger figure with a dress and what Connie could guess to be long curly hair that held a sword and a shield on her hand. The shield...

His shield?

This made no sense.

The look on his face however...Connie could only describe it as one of longing, evidenced as how he dragged his palm over the curly haired woman. He must have known her. She must have been here. Was...

Connie couldn't stop thinking about it. Her mind drew straws into possibilities, theories and questions on what they meant to Steven. One word came to mind.

Family.

He mentioned a father, but he wasn't here. If Connie could get to guess...and this was a definite stretch but with everything as it was...it could have been his mother.

So many things Connie could ask about it. But she didn't, out of respect. The only thing she could do right now is leave him be, until he needed her. It was interesting how she thought she knew him to be a happy, sensitive, funny, strong guy. She figured he had a past that he didn't want to revisit but this was just opening up new doors on its own. Between his human form and his magical prowess, his goal to reach the Temple of Obsidian was crucial. His family had to be there, surely. It made her miss her parents dearly, however.

To just...disappear without a trace and no lead left her miserable. But she kept clinging on to reasons to continue. That maybe one day she'll reunite with them and help them fulfill their dreams. She helped prepare for night and left Steven there until he had enough. She prepared dinner. Simple chicken soup that would keep out the cold. Generous as Connie was to let him linger there, it had been like almost an hour and she wanted him to eat. She tapped on his shoulder, though he didn't respond, so Connie left the bowl beside him and went back to eat hers and figured he would have it when he was ready. 

She tucked herself into a book to distract her thoughts as her mind hooked on to the sounds of the crackling fire, ignoring everything else around her. It was a bad idea, since the book was generally about a family. One they'd picked up from the antique shop that wasn't torn up or missing pages. The best condition even if the cover was worn with age. She could still read it. But it spoke about so much...and it generally disheartened her greatly. Eventually, she put it down and decide to forgo bothering Steven, since he'd do what he had to, and had her back curled up and her body turned away from the flames.

Clinging cutlery rang in her ears which did wake her up briefly, to which Connie figured Steven had finally disconnected himself from the back wall. She took a deep sigh and wrestled with her thoughts to return back to sleep. Until she sensed something near here. Opening her eyes again, she saw Steven sitting by her, looking down at her and looking rather solemn. A strong feeling was reflected in his stare as he nudged his head towards the back wall. She could barely sleep anyway, so she got up at the help of him grabbing her hand and taking her there.

He pressed his hand against a nearby console as the back wall opened up shortly after. It was a room, that for some reason, was filled with cushions. Clean, red cushions and pillows and blankets and chairs of different types and sizes and shades. For what ever the world would need with so many. Steven laughed as he ran it and looked at it all. A red blanket with a yellow star adorned the back wall, a flag with an emblem of sorts. Though she watched on as he made some kind of construct using the chairs as the base to where he put the blankets on top and pillows surrounding them. A little tent or...fort. Steven looked so proud of himself as he stood there with his hands on his hips and demonstrated his creation with pride and the goofiest grin. He took off his shoes and went to his usual shirts and shorts and slid inside his little slice of heaven. He grinned and waved his hand to Connie to join him, though he did run out briefly to grab his purple bear, which had Connie think, why not and grabbed out the pink lion plush from her bag and scurried on over to join him.

She slid on inside of this cosy abode of crimson fabric and warmth and put their bracelets beside the pillows and allowed their pure lights of pink and blue to create shades of purple in their wake. Both of them sat next to each other and allowed for a moment of childish fun as they played make believe with the toys. Nostalgic, indeed.

Once spent, Steven heaved a huge yawn and laid down, as did Connie, as they rested on their sides and could not help but stare at each other, to where Connie would fire off the first giggle, to where Steven throw in the second chuckle, in response to the fueled fire in their bellies that cooked up a great deal of giddiness. Steven was the first to reach his hand out, although nervous as he rubbed his fingers together, cautious, nervous until he rested his hand on Connie's waist. The flames increased tenfold as Connie blushed. His face fell but to the pinkest shades on his cheeks. He wanted this still. He wanted this...thing that they had to have meaning without hurt. To no longer challenge their inborn nature to feel this way. To tend dry skin to dry skin. They were wandering spirits after all; dedicated to exploration of an unknown world that was once filled with a larger colourscape.

There was nothing to gain from denial. Connie _wanted_ him to touch her. Connie wanted him to feel what he needed to feel and that she may be able to feel what she needed to feel too. Signs would both tell them that it was both right and wrong and that there was no winner or loser when no one else could tell them what the conditions were to begin with. Steven ran his fingers up and down her hip, trying to decide where he wanted to go with this. Connie knew to be patient with him and to her desire, she liked it this way. His fingers found their way under her shirt which sent sparks flying through her nerves. His eyes trailed alongside them, inherently focused too. 

If Connie was going to do this, she might as well, give him the permission to do it without fear preventing him from enacting his hunger. So she sat up on her knees and tugged the ends of her shirt and in a swift motion pulled off her top and threw it aside. Steven sat up a little too quickly, sitting on his knees as well and swallowed as his eyes widened. No...she had to do more. It nerved her but she's fought that nonsense before, so she unhooked her bra from behind and slid off the straps...eventually taking it off all together. The man was stunned and practically sweating by this point. Connie shuffled closer and allowed him to look. She was far from embarrassed which she found strange. She was more than okay with this. She was okay with Steven looking at her like this more so and took delight in the faces he made as he stared. She then took his hand and placed it on her hip. A familiar place that would tell him that he could start there, then touch where ever he liked. He gave a small nod, then moved his fingers around to her stomach, which tickled Connie as she tried to stifle a giggle, then he moved his fingers to her sternum. A thumb eventually traced the outer part of her right breast and gently caressed her nipple, putting slight pressure on it and watching it pop like it did back in the pool. It was more than likely Steven had never ever seen a woman this bare to him before. It was...kind of obvious the first time but...there was something so adorably innocent about it as well, training the man with his first lessons about all this.

He did the same to her other breast, not letting it go unwanted. His exploration; yearning to find and make new discoveries on his own. Connie wanted that too. Once he was done, he pulled back a bit, then looked at Connie with eyes that waited for her to make her next move. She pointed towards his shirt and gestured for him to take it off. He wasn't sure but she nodded, although he didn't have to. Steven took a deep breath and pulled his shirt off with the same motions as Connie, throwing his shirt to the side. It allowed her eyes to find their way around his gargantuan form. His chest wasn't a maze but she still became lost in it the same way. As well as his gem. She shuffled closer by sliding her knees forward, one by one, putting her her index finger square in the middle of his body and slowly, but surely, like a leader, commanded it to make its own, rigid trails. Steven started to breath heavily, but allowed her to continue. It was doing more to him than she knew to expect. Her head tilted, the sign of her curious mind taking it all in and left in wonder of the male form. He was soft, but rough in places. Old cuts and older scars. Signs of an experienced soldier. So many battles she didn't see. 

It was inevitable, the way her fingers went downwards to his stomach and the sparkling gem on his stomach. So much could be said but Connie did not pry. It was not her place. She's known of monsters that had these and she just couldn't help but want to sate her inquisitive mind. She looked up for permission, uncertain if he was okay with this. Steven nodded, not worried too much about it. She then made traces around the outside of the gem itself, which sent shivers down his spine. Definitely sensitive from the looks of it. Connie took a moment to be entranced by his gem. She wasn't scared nor concerned. The best aspects of her curious and adventurous nature took hold as she made a light poke, just for her eyes to look up and to see his reaction. He shrugged, noting the lack of response. She then made circles around it, feeling the edges of its facets. It was cold, hard. She heard him make a sharp breath through his nose as she put in a little bit of pressure. She retracted, fearing that it was hurting him, checking back with his facial expression to ensure he was still comfortable. He shook his head, but took her hand, gently and guided it back. She eventually splayed her hand and rubbed it up and down. From the content sigh that escaped him, told Connie he actually liked it, to her relief. It was otherworldly, it was a contrast to what she knew, what she thought she knew and to what she'd expected. It didn't matter to Connie nor did she become anxious. What ever felt good to him was the only part that mattered.

All this time, however, had a growing twist tightening in her gut. It was more pleasant that it was painful. Though it was painful in feeling that it was pleasant. A paradox of sorts that would turn her insane. If this was insane, then consider her crazy for thinking that way. It was a crazy world after all. But this crazy had colour. It had filtering lights of blue and pink, soft toys and forts made of chairs, blankets and pillows, having cans of soup, noodles...she wouldn't mind jam if she could get her hands on a well-preserved jar. She imagined what it would taste like as she tried to imagine the taste on her tongue. It was described as sweet, though the only sweet taste she'd ever experienced in her life had been a can of tin fruit. 

Speaking of taste, another feeling came to mind. Her lips were dry and chapped normally as a result of the weather and her unconscious licking from time to time. It was normal, albeit forgettable. She looked at his and kept on her new focus on the ever, thankful patient yet confused Steven. She knew how her lips tasted. So...for what reasons were known to her and her burning stomach, she wanted to taste his. She'd shifted, moving her upper body forward and had slowly slid her hand up from his gem, past his chest and snaked it around his neck, moving it to the back and up his scalp. Connie drew his puffed head to her. She pulled on stubborn strings within herself, combating against anxiety and unwritten thoughts that held her back, as she closed her eyes.

Steven had done the same, his eyes became lulled as he too leaned in his head. Their noses made an awkward bump which put them back a smidget, their eyes opening up like automatic shutter blinds and puffed faces as they both giggled. Steven ended up mimicking her in a similar, albeit a bit quicker method as he tilted her head via his slight grip on her chin. So much for Connie's belief she had this all figured out, but in actuality, she was only being guided by instinct, though they both were in that mindset to learn from their mistakes and to figure it out for themselves. Connie could learn from him and he could learn from her without the need to argue or be annoyed at the other. Tempered with caution and care. He felt her breathing through her nose, listening in on its hardness birthed by a quickened heartbeat. After a slight moment of working through this mess, they closed their eyes fully, aiming towards the other in the shakiest and slowest of motions.

Warm, at first dry then slightly wet and still a bit on the nerved side but they'd made it. They'd held it there, unsure of the next step. They pulled apart in a sudden gasp, both stunned by it. A first kiss; albeit clumsy. It didn't matter. Connie was happy to share it with him. She'd didn't reprimand on how terrifying it felt to her but the same time, it was exhilarating. It sure put the charge in her gut...and going from the way his gem was glowing, it did it for him too. Steven chuckled, which had Connie relax, though still left curious as to what came next, though at the same time he wanted more of it.

Connie wanted more too. She found it amusing that Steven put away both of their plushies, as if, he knew exactly where this was headed and didn't want them to witness what they were about to do. They must protect the eyes of the pure, after all.

They went in again and remonstrated their kisses, experimenting all the while to get a good grip on how it was supposed to work. It felt good as it did, as Connie made his lips wet with her tongue, but ended up putting her tongue in his mouth instead. She made a cut off gasp of surprise through her nose as she did so, but didn't dare let go. Popping noises filled the air, while Steven waged war with Connie's tongue with his, forging peace and ended up doing an intricate dance that neither would dominate or surrender to, but allowed them to share the texture and the taste of tonight's soup with one another as equals on an intimate night out.

The taste however, sent a hunger into overdrive. Both of them intensified their locks, to which a hum echoed from Steven's throat with a deep vibration which shot right down from Connie's core down to her groin in a striking flash. Connie grasped the blanket underneath her with her other hand that tried to keep grip and dug her fingers into it. How could something like this feel so good and yet..Connie still wanted more as she made a mewling noise into his mouth.

Both of them adjusted themselves yet again to find a much more comfortable position. They'd moved a few pillows around in great haste against the back of the fort, which happened to be the back wall of the inner sanctum itself. Connie had moved their glowing bracelets, Connie's pink one to the left and Steven's blue one to the right as he leaned against the cushions, with his legs spread out in front of him. Steven looked up at Connie as she stood before him and waited until he was comfortable enough. He then grabbed her hand and gently took her down, adjusting her to sit on his lap with her legs poking around his hips and getting her feet lost in the sea of cushions. Steven bent his knees which drew Connie closer, rubbing her breasts against his torso and feeling his gem against her stomach. and eliciting a slight grunt from his pipes. Connie then wrapped her arms around his neck and inhaled his scent. Dull but with the hint of him. His unique smell, to where she drew pictures on both of his heated cheeks and eventually clashing swords with their noses. A quiet giggle and snort was unintended, but that just had Steven's lips widen into a greater grin as they begun to kiss again, where Steven ended up putting both of his hands on her back to slide them up and down.

Unclean squeaks, muffled moans and quick breaths were the shots of songs that paraded them through the night. Electricity charged their through their bodies with every touch, every sound, every taste. Fire charged into their cores with greater needs and desires just desperate for release. Connie felt the wetness permeate around her crotch, feeling the lump through Steven's shorts all the while. Most of the time spent in this chaotic series of actions were simple, experimental but dry sensations left on a singe with no real conclusion to the satisfaction, which only made matters worse. They'd kept it off and even with dealing with it in their own accord to feed the hunger in their own way, made it all the while intense when it came to face and touching the exposed reality of the desired one in question.

Connie cut off, freezing their make out in question as she steadily leaned back with the trail of spit that lingered from their mouths that split apart as they parted. Connie wiped her lips, but ended up looking at Steven. She'd fallen and lost herself in the haze of lust, only...her care for Steven held her back from enacting. This tiny bit of control she had left, she dedicated it to him, to make sure that this was what he wanted. Nothing would give her more pleasure that to give everything of her to him right now. He'd given her his trust, his care...his laugh, his smile. It would be enough. Right now, his mind had to have been racing through so much, meeting dead end thoughts and backtracking constantly. His eyes, half-lidded and with the light itself shone brightly in his eyes told her his puzzling tale of inner turmoil.

Steven could see she wanted this, as she so patiently waited for his answer. He couldn't say no. Not now. All he ever desired sat there like a door waiting to be opened. His concern was that would she return from this the same Connie and would he return back as the same Steven...before the mission that would risk everything and at the same time, win so much more even if something was lost. He throbbed harder than before but restraint kept him from acting it on right now. He's never done this before and she'd never either. Everything was so new, exciting, petrifying...all these words mixed in together to emerge as a powerful, heart destroying emotion.

So, he had to be extra careful. Last thing Steven wanted was to hurt her. They had gotten this far and Connie trusted him implicitly, thick and thin. So with a simple, defining nod, he allowed her to take the lead with this, as he trusted her just as much.

Connie grinned and leaned forward as she gave him one long kiss then moved back a bit to adjust herself to put her knees beside his legs. She kissed him again, then moved her pecks across his cheeks and lathered his neck, before giving it soft nibbles. Steven's breathing became jittery, with small moans with every bite she made. Her hand made its way past his his chest, smoothing across his skin at the same time and rubbing her palm against his gem, which made it glow brighter that it illuminated the entirety of their 'fort' like it was the sun they'd never seen in their entire lives. 

They would fight for that. Fight for the light that was lost. For now, the battle against all urges was no longer in existence, accepting defeat in the face of total collapse and cessation of self. 

It was what it was; a dare as Connie's hand went further down, peering through the veil of his shorts and onto the thick, hard member that hid down there. Steven yelped and shivered at her touch, with a short, subtle puff. Connie winced at Steven's pain, apparently squeezing too hard to start off with, so she lessened her grip. Steven could be aggressive and he was strong, but he was still at Connie's mercy, with the charge that flowed his body as to how on once they were so parched once upon a time, now with sweat that began to seep through his pores and upon inspection on Connie's lovely dark skin, could see her with the signs of the heat that radiated from her gorgeous, smooth form. His ears could hear her continue to suckle at his neck and the sounds of her hand on his member, shuffling through the yellow barrier of cloth all the while. It was building and Steven didn't want it to finish, not with Connie's needs not being attended to. He touched her hand to tell her to stop and looked over, nudging his towards her to say it was her turn.

Connie swallowed, nodding all the while. She closed her eyes, relinquishing her control as he moved around, to allow her to be like a goddess against all the pillows, laying out with her hair spread everywhere. He'd sat back and breathed it all in, took it all in as she laid back, giving him the most incredulous look, leading him to toy around with her body. In a good way, obviously.

What hadn't he touched or kissed yet? He started with her legs...running his hands and fingers all over them from thigh to toe...then from toe to thigh, kissed and tasted them all over. Connie felt the tickles but enjoyed watching Steven as he continued to explore her in ways he'd been eager to try. It was a learning curve for sure and that kissing the soles of her feet were a bad idea as he almost gagged. Connie laughed, knowing that they weren't the best places to taste to begin with but...didn't stop Steven from doing so. Again, it was okay to make those mistakes. It was all meant to be in good fun, after all.

Eventually Steven returned and leaned over her, putting both of of his arms on either side for support. He'd used his knees to shift her legs apart, while he returned to at first peck her lips, then he started to kiss downwards. To her chin, to her neck, to her chest. He looked at the left breast with utmost curiosity, then looked up at Connie who gave him a curt nod. Still cute on how occasionally he'd still ask for permission occasionally in ways that sent her heart a flutter; pleading eyes and an almost quivering bottom lip. A lost soul desperate for clarification.

He looked down and started to suckle on it, sending those bolts down her veins from not just the sensation it provided, but more so the noises it created, pinging her ears and left with a famishing desire in tow. He did the same to her right which did just as much. His right hand eventually moved across her hip, then down past her own stomach, then eventually around the waistband of her black underwear. His big fingers slid underneath it, as he began to massage her groin. Connie bit her lip, finding herself moving to his touch with her legs and knees moving up and down without much synchronization. He removed his face from her breast, looking on as Connie required his attention. He would need help for this next part, so she slid off her underwear. He noted this as he guided them off her legs entirely, revealing her glistening, wet moist patch to him. He looked up, confused. This didn't surprise her in the slightest, though she didn't think he was completely ignorant of it all. But to ease his uncertainty, she guided him to her clit and showed him how to gently rub it. This was nothing to be ashamed of as Connie, well, had to figure this out on her own as well when she was younger. The female body could be complex and weird, but once you knew what to do, it stuck with you. Having someone else do it when they'd never done it before was the same kind of learning and she was more than happy to teach Steven. She'd only learned from him on how not to touch his organ, though going from his performance the other night, she had a general idea. Well, to have an imagination was a gift and a curse at times. In funny ways and horrible ways.

So, with Connie's instruction, Steven started rubbing it, anxious not to hurt her. She had to assure him through gentle pats on his shoulder that he was doing fine. He shook under nerve, but Connie's trust did not waiver in the slightest. Eventually, she would guide a finger inside, telling him it was okay for him to do so. He was such an eager student, privy to every lesson she could give him. He curled, which sent sparks and a stifled moan through pursed lips.

He'll continue to learn as would she. For now, both were in that stage of begging for release, for the build up they had gained to have its final clash. Their heartbeats were rapid, their breathing was heavier than ever. She removed his fingers and moved about so he had himself settled on hovering just above her. Connie's eyes traveled downwards to his shorts, then looked back up into his intense stare and caressed his cheek with the back of her fingers. Steven gulped, as Connie could see the movement from his Adams apple. He could, right now, not go ahead with his. Connie was charged and ready to go when ever he was. She'd be able to finish it off herself to get rid of the temptation. Annoyed but that would be temporary. She only cared about the core of his spirit. They'd done so much already and she was...funnily enough, proud of him. In a weird way. Connie believed him to be this..childish, yet optimistic being with a magical destiny. To destroy that which mattered the most would be devastating if they'd lost that in one, stupid night of flopping around and getting the worst result possible. 

Steven, despite his nerves, took a deep, shaky breath and gave Connie one long kiss, before shifting off his shorts and throwing them aside. He wanted this. He'd done this for Connie and not just to pave away any silly desires to ruin her completely. He was incredibly thankful for her teaching him and would take her practical classes to heart. Now, there wasn't any turning back. He couldn't give up on this. Not now, not while she laid there before him with the strongest aura he sensed that emanated like a beacon, only calling out his name with her strong, determined eyes alone. A complete faith. 

The final adjustments were made to make sure the pair were comfortable as possible. Connie took in a breath as Steven pushed his body closer to her as she spread her legs out further. He held his cock in one hand and focused entirely on ensuring that this was going to be as painless as possible. Connie assisted in this regard, to which he let her guide him once more. A few strained, whined breaths slipped out of him; signature of intensity and fraying nerves out of his control. Again, Connie was willing to stop at any time if Steven found that he couldn't do it, so she let go once he got closer to her entrance. She could show him the way, but only he'd be able to make that first step through himself. He hovered nearby for a while, his mind running through so much trepidation. She was about to give permission for him to stop, until she was suddenly left gasping as he rammed himself into her with great haste. Painful? Yes. Did she herself want to continue? _Yes._

He pulled out slightly, then tried again. Connie gasped once more. This new, probably impossible feeling ran through her, breathing new, unseen life and going through uncharted waters. Dry no more, but left gasping for more air than she could breath in. It was messy, uneven and it took them some time to get a rhythm going. Connie found herself trying to match with his thrusts that weren't in any kind of signature. It was easier to compare it to a song but she let Steven find his way, his groove and his grip. He tightened his clasp on the red cloth below them, left clenching and figuring out ways to make things easier for them both. He looked too focused, too concentrated as to what he should be doing that he was almost crying while he did so. Connie lifted her head and kissed him on the lips, allowing him to open up his scrunched up eyes to get a proper look at her. She put a hand to his shoulder then tapped. Steven was left puzzled, then she thrust upwards, pulling him into her and leaving him in a gasp as well, but synchronized it with her tap. She nodded, hoping he'd get the idea. She started to do it herself a few more times, before he realized what she was doing. He nodded, shaking his head and his tears and had renewed resolve. She tapped, he would thrust himself and Connie would meet with him in the middle. She created a time signature that would work for the both of them and allowed him to be able to pump himself into her all the easier. He'd be able to change it on a whim and she'd still be be able to follow.

Steven upped the momentum on his own accord, feeling himself getting closer to the burst. He was so scared of disappointing Connie before and while he wanted to do this, so badly, he didn't want to take something so precious from her and turn it into some bad memory. A first time should be treasured but...Connie herself was not afraid of him when he screwed up. Nor was she angry. But now, she had figured out a way to make it somewhat decent for the both of them.

Their breathing intensified as the time between Connie's puffs and pants were shorter and shorter. The sounds of him driving himself into her in those quick intervals, the touch of her soft, sweaty skin and the occasionally, long drawn out kisses meant everything to Steven. While he strained, he let out the occasional grunt and found it difficult to remain stable. He felt everything from her, from the waves of pleasure that came from every thrust and her loud cries for more threatened to send him overboard.

Connie herself felt the end was near for her. A new sensation that transported both her and Steven to a completely different plane where she would imagine where she would see stars dotted against the night sky; a sight still unseen. The amount of pain vs pleasure that swam around her core was so blurred. The sounds Steven made drove her mad as he plowed deeper into her, where she wanted him to be. Their bodies could not be pressed any closer to one another, as he gave another peck, then buried his head beside her neck and started to suckle there and breath in deeply through his nose. Her whole set of nerves were now on fire, hearing his muffled growls beside her ear and the slaps of their skin were almost harmonized. She found her left hand going to his neck and digging her fingers in deeply and the other again, left trying to find something to grip on, finding herself losing complete control of everything around her. What once was coiled up, became undone, with the wreath of flames spreading out from her core through her whole body as she came and while she tried hard to not be so vocal, she let herself go; to be free from her restraints and to feel the explosion from down below take over completely. It left her almost flailing with her mind in the fuzz of space itself; lacking cohesive thoughts. So she ended up pouring out a powerful cry from the depths of her throat while she writhed and wriggled about from her intense orgasm.

Steven kept going, a little more faster now, quicker thrusts with quicker intervals. His growls became heightened and cracked whimpers; the sheer intense desperation to be set free from the fire and the battle itself. He couldn't think properly, so the only parts that drove him him were instinct and the utter desire for ultimate release. Connie's cries stirred him something so fierce he couldn't help but have his mind on all of her. Her body, her skin, her sweat, her voice, her heart, her soul, all merged into this goddess like entity that he'd only dreamed about and that became this sole focus. For where his mind traversed held the whispers of one he held so dearly under him and in the midst of the slightest microsecond of the overloaded, ultimate crux, covered in voids of pink and blue skies, he called for the one to be there with him...and there she was.

"C-CONNIIE!!!"

Colour, there was so much colour that poured out from his gem alone....and it was beautiful.

Upon the drop of her name from his mouth in such a powerful and wild roar, Steven embraced Connie tightly as he came into her with such intense vigor while his body shook violently, letting out another huge groan...until his body yielded in the flash of heat that scanned the entirety of himself, leaving him drenched in sweat and in feeble attempts to get his breath back with slight sharp inhales until they were considered stable. 

Out of breath but back in their own minds after that incredible experience, Steven pulled out and rolled to the left, getting off of Connie who just as exhausted and sweaty as he was. They both laid on their backs, as the light from Steven's gem faded. Connie felt lost, but in a good way. She moved her head to her right, seeing Steven completely spaced out and left trying to discern over what just happened. Connie could only smile as she grabbed his hand in the attempt to get him to look at her. He did, rolling his head around. A new feeling erupted that she couldn't explain while linking their eyes together, so instead she turned over and nestled her head in the crevice of his neck and put her hand on his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat. They remained still until their heart rates settled down, before doing anything else.

* * *

It was more than words could say. Less than perfect but pretty good for their first time. Connie wouldn't trade it for anything else, however. A bit of soreness to be had but nothing that could cause worry. She doubted that it wouldn't happen again and that if it did, it'd only get better. Her mind was her own again, so she used that to continue to wrap her body around him; to keep him close as she gently breathed on his neck. A finger made pointless awkward drawings on his chest, but Steven seemed distracted. While she wanted his attention, she let him be, but with a look that pensive, she couldn't ignore. She gave him a small peck on his cheek. He ended up putting an arm around her to draw her closer to show that he was listening. His chest rose as he heaved a huge sigh, jabbing Connie's curiosity as to what he was thinking. He'd moved to his side to face Connie, the reached over her and took a blanket put it over both of their still naked bodies. The chill was still there, now that everything had stopped spinning. Steven kissed Connie goodnight and thought about the purple bear and the lion plush that he'd tucked into their sleeping bags. They then lost the battle to fatigue, falling into content slumber, knowing they both still Steven and Connie at the end of it all.

His smile was enough to save the both of them for the night.


	8. Tasteful Sensation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven reminisces, as he and Connie try something new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we have a little bit more of the Dryverse's lore implemented via Steven. And more smut.

**Lesson 8: Food doesn't always have to be tasty.**

In the void of the night, Steven thought about at the picture of the group, the group his Dad told him about, those who would give him answers to questions he'd been dying to ask for years. Growing up, Steven was lead to fear those who put them into that predicament, but he could only know so much. Much of his status was kept a secret as a half-breed. He remembered his dad being petrified of the Gem Guards finding out. Only few knew of Steven's true origins. Steven never understood much of it, only that his dad taught him to make sure no one would witness his gem.

His mother, Rose Quartz, was a beautiful woman. One against the way that the Empire had treated humanity in general and in that sense, knew of the rebellion that occurred but failed. Steven trained in secret, learning how to use his shield like his mother did. Humans weren't allowed to train or fight for themselves. They were kept dull from being used. Abused. It was horrible to witness.

His father didn't want him to have that life and risked everything to allow him to escape.

Steven wondered, forever more, of what could have happened to him. He couldn't turn back; not without help. That way, he'd still be able to save everyone. If he could find the Temple of Obsidian that is.

Meeting Connie, allowed him to know that there were still free humans out there, living their lives. Connie told him about her parents and how they went missing, but...she'd come along in time. A good time where he'd almost forgotten he was half human. Days, weeks, years spent fighting the Unsaved. The irredeemable, the monsters they once called kin. There were times Steven had lost control and lost his humanity in the moments where fighting the monsters became the release from all the pent up aggression. Fighting did him no good...it just made everything feel more empty, more lonely. Survival was a priority, but anger, frustration and absolute bereavement forged flames within his soul, to keep him tenacious as he could be. Only thing that Steven could do, was at the behest of the advice and rules left behind by his mother, was to put them out of their misery. He'd only learned those rules via proxy; his dad. That everyone he'd taken down, would make the world a little more safer. Could the world itself, be redeemed and sent back to the way it used to be? Steven had only ever known two places. The Compound and the faded world outside it.

He'd discovered Connie, however...without the mark on her neck like everyone else received when they were born. He wondered, from rumor and conjecture, if her parents were the ones who'd managed to vanish with their lives. It was hard to say. He'd ask Connie, but did she really know or get it herself? She was considered one of the Free; the unmarked. It was hard to find any sign of humanity that wasn't a pile of bones left in the wake of an unforgiving sin. Again, not a lot could be said about the whole truth. Only from what others inside the compound mentioned and from his dad said. She could have been from some kind of, left over town ship destroyed by monsters. It could be anything. She never said anything else.

Steven treasured every aspect of her and had this innate desire to protect her, even if he did know very little. Did it matter? She did. Being someone on the outside to remind him who he was fighting for, in the search for the Temple of Obsidian. And the book she carried, it did look familiar to a point he could have questioned on where she received it, but...

Connie was the first bit of colour, of positive warmth in the realm of the arid wastelands. Tasting her, feeling her, being inside of her. Fluids...the way the body worked and soaked in all the right places. No longer would his heart be in drought; it was filled with gooeyness that felt funny at first, but he learned to embrace it. In times of where he dreams would guide him the most vivid of lights, to escape from encumbering darkness. He took it all with thoughts traced to words and their connections to much of where his mind traversed in short, sweet statements that collided with something so complex, yet simple. Not a song, but a shattered poem of blunt descriptions and confused feelings.

Water. Fire, Blankets, Stuffed toys. Blue, Yellow, Red, Pink, Purple. 

Connie. Skin, Brown, Hair, dark, black, clothes, blue...not entirely colourful in form but...

Her heart...pink...his gem. Pink. Her soul, blue, his soul. blue.

Ethereal, unseen but felt.

Colour was not always something you could see.

Her laughter, her giggles, electric. Yellow. 

Her tears, blue, wet.

Her smile, warm, red.

Her noise...her noises...yellow, pink, blue...white.

White eyes, blue eyes, yellow eyes, pink eyes.

He'd come back to see them again, to put his imagination to picture it all, like it was some forgotten memory.

Red skin, peach skin, purple skin.

His mind saw the ones in question, to where the drawings had portrayed the figures under the drawing of his mother.

Colour worth protecting in every form, every sound, every feeling, every touch, every sight, every taste and every smell.

Colour wasn't always their enemy.

* * *

Steven opened his eyes to see Connie beside him, still asleep. An aura cast in the warmest of shades, shadowed by the light of her pink bracelet. His mind jumped at the connections again, finding meaning in them. Her happiness, the most prized. He ran his fingers over her cheek, feeling her soft breath on his palm. Human. She was only human. Would she grasp this world if she knew the truth? She stuck with him after all, giving her light in many ways that he absorbed into himself in a selfish way.

No. He wanted to give. He could give because he had forgotten who to give for. Monsters; he took their light. He took their essence into himself as not only a power, but a reminder...of the souls lost in the faded world. Both monster, human and Gem. Connie. Did she know what this world once contained other than the lost, dusty, dry and dirty remains of the old civilization? She'd seen the temple and while he noted her curious spirit, she didn't ask too much, to which Steven was thankful since he had no real clue himself, only knowing that they were...well something that came about around the time of the rebellion.

It puzzled Steven to no end, as to why he was chosen for this. Thrust into this life. His father did not wish for him to leave like he did, but fate forced his hand. And now, it felt like the last few weeks had turned everything he thought he knew on its head. Connie; her way, her being. Her existence a cornerstone to keep going in this age of withered dormancy. That he had a goal. To see where this lead and the destiny that showered over him. The promise for everything to get better.

But. He had accepted her help and her guidance to get him back on track. Though, laying there, naked with the sheet covering them as they laid in their little protective fortress, had him think that this was a fun distraction from the dire. Things that allow him to flourish with his imagination and parts of his own childhood that worked to make him happy too. Connie went along with it, joining him on this little, tiny adventure into the past, where all was well.

All could have been well, with Steven thinking of the way the old world worked. Did it allow others to touch and feel each other in their small moments of peace? He wanted to roll around with Connie, explore with Connie and see past the horizon with Connie. He wanted to eventually meet others, share with others and speak with others. Connie was the door to the old world and the new one that they could forge together.

Connie slowly batted her eyelids. The blurs disappeared, leading her to seeing Steven as he looked fondly at her with a tilted look. Connie grinned, initiating a morning kiss; the taste of which was better than anything and a thousand fold better than the disgusting air he tasted on the daily basis. Steven was indeed tempted, but the world would not wait while they fooled around. They both cleaned up and packed up around themselves and moved on to their next destination.

They'd marked this place with an X; calling it their abode in the mountains. It was sad to say goodbye to the place that would hold important memories as they got up, got dressed, packed up and began their long trek down the mountain and towards the next temple. It was a day and a bit away so they'd found a place on the map in between that they could visit first.

Once down, dust storms slowed them down as they walked through open plains until they came across the place in question within six hours. A small suburb. Larger than the pit stop they were at the other day, but this had fallen down powerlines, cracked roads with huge pot holes and a series of buildings and old broken houses covered in the usual muck.There had be quite a bit here to take if they looked at every nook and cranny. Houses with mostly empty cupboards and boxes, to their dismay. Maybe this area was a common area once for people, where they would raid what they could. They were too late.

But, there could be something hiding for them. Things easily missed if one did not know where to look. Steven's mind trembled, slipping into a hallucination of a busy place where there were lots of people. Lots of humans, gems...living harmoniously. Whether or not that was how life was was irrelevant. He was told this...told to believe this was how life was in the land of the before. While the Compound itself was a complete place of misery, at least it had life. 

He'd stood in the middle of a crossroads, watching the wind pick up the dirt and sand, filtering, curling and folding into intricate patterns, outlining the forms that faded into ghosts made of dust, with the chill of the gusts touching his shoulders like invisible hands that sent shivers up his spine.

Steven was never a part of it, but this was how he envisioned it. He'd lost the rule he made for himself not to linger in huge towns for this reason. He didn't understand how this hurt him like it did. He was never there.

He didn't exist back then but it still threw unknown guilt, shame and coiled anxiety in his gut. Steven hated it. It made no sense. He shouldn't feel this way and he didn't want to feel this way.   
He felt a tug on his hand, with fingers interlocking with his, pulling him out the rut he was in. He turned to her, seeing the only life that mattered to him right now. She was there, she was real and he gripped onto her tightly.

The rest of the day was spent finding resources. Much to Connie's delight, they found a still preserved jar of strawberry jam in the back of a cupboard in one of the houses. It perked Steven up considerably as well. It was only a spread however and it wouldn't satisfy their hunger. Another house, however, would bless them with sweet biscuits to which were sealed tight into a tin which, funnily enough with the irony, was jammed tight. Connie tried opening the tin herself, until Steven took over and with his half-gem strength, effortlessly opened it. Connie clapped, cheering on her biscuit hero. 

That night, they'd settled in the basement of one of the houses, using a few candles to light the room with purple walls and a concrete floor and a little window at the back the looked at the surface, with numerous items like cupboard boxes and broken appliances like tvs and stereos and the like. After going back to shirts and pants and barricading themselves in, Steven brought down a mattress large enough for the two of them to sleep in together and put it against the closest wall. Together. And that's just how they were now. When it came to warmth, no fire was necessary as Connie brought down some light blue blankets from one of the rooms and a red and white picnic blanket. For dinner, they'd grabbed some old cutlery from the upstairs kitchen to prepare their sweet meal. Plates, butter knives as Steven was eager spread the jam over the biscuits with that starry glint in his eyes. Connie couldn't help but chuckle at his enthusiasm as she put the blanket down. Something was missing, as Connie stood before the blanket and rubbed her chin with squinted eyes, her mind trying to decipher the missing piece. She then pointed up, her face going wide with a great idea. She'd run up the stairs, much to Steven's confusion. She was up there for a few minutes, until she bolted back down with a small, glass vase and put in a fake red rose in the middle. This place seemed to have the most bizarre items providing for their romantic albeit imaginative needs.

Steven had finished making the biscuits and put them neatly on their plates, handing one to Connie as they sat on the knees on the blanket to eat. It was nice, humble and a little bit of fun. Steven needed this. He really did.

The pair devoured everything and left a huge mess of crumbs behind and an even bigger mess on their faces that left them giggly. Steven licked his thumb and wiped a bit off Connie's chin. Connie herself however, had the cheekiest look on her face. Oh boy, what did she have planned? Steven grew wary as Connie snickered, blushing all the while before she shuffled closer to Steven and licked some off his cheek, causing him to go pink all over at the touch of her wet, warm tongue. The sugar rush had them in a playful mood all of a sudden, as Connie tackled him to the ground, continuing to lick his face and left him begging for mercy between his tickled laughter.

Eventually Connie stopped, surprised at something. By this point, she was sitting on top of him and slightly off the top of his crotch. He looked down, seeing the lump in his pants and pursing his lips in embarrassment. Steven was turned on and neither of them realized it until that moment. It hit him on the intense stare that she gave, leaving her all sudden desires written in her eyes. His breath quickened as his heart raced, his body antsy in anticipation. Connie then giggled as she leaned over to give him a long kiss, then ended up rubbing his member through his jeans, causing him to moan from the touch. He found himself in that place again. Teetering the line between innocent and dark. Urges that would have all undone before them.

There was a little bit of pain that had him realizing how tight his jeans were, though that no longer mattered when Connie took his shirt off and started to kiss and lick his body all over, which had him chuckle, breath in hard and lick the sweat off of his lips. She trailed to his gem and looked at him, awaiting his answer to the unspoken question. He gave a brief nod as she started to kiss and slather her tongue all over it.

It was...indeed unusual but he definitely liked it as his knees shuffled upwards while she did so with his mind trying to figure the sharp, chilliness that started from his gem and went outwards, like fireworks of sparkling magic. Did he honestly taste that good to her? He felt like he needed another bath or something. Maybe they could return back to the pool one day. For now, he felt the sweat dripping, as the suckling and sloppy noises Connie had struck his ears, doing nasty stuff to him. She kept rubbing him too; doubling the torture. He'd come if he wanted, but he wasn't going to let her miss out. She certainly looked delicious enough to eat however.

He gently guided her head back to his, with the devilish smirk that portrayed her less than sweet side as she pulled off her top. Right now, she looked savory, as Steven pulled her neck to his mouth as he sucked on her neck, with saltiness of her skin gliding against his tongue. Little croaks left her throat as he did so, reaching out his shaky hands behind her and undoing her bra. It looked simple enough, though he did fumble with it a bit, finding hard to focus with a charged heart that toyed with his nerves. He took his time, worried that Connie would get impatient but she stayed until he got all three hooks off. She pushed onto his chest to sit back up as she took her bra off. Steven tilted his head, with the shadows of the candlelight making her form like this display he wasn't allowed to touch, but there was no sign saying not to. 

Eventually, they migrated to the mattress. Steven was basically made to fall back on it, as Connie stood above him. She then went down and crawled on to him, then removed his jeans and underwear without little restraint, with Steven's stiff cock feeling the cool air of freedom. Connie slipped her pants and underwear off too. What ever she had planned, he was ready for it.

She sat on his legs first, deliberating her next move. He wasn't as nervous as the night before, but...now that they were more comfortable with one another, they could experiment, figure out what was good and what wasn't. He was still hesitant but totally confident in Connie's directions. Though, he definitely wanted to try something too and wondered if he could make a suggestion.

He looked down at her crotch, figuring that he'd done nothing to it really. All this talk about tasting had him figuring...what did down there taste like anyway? A weird thought, a bizarre thought but, hey...if he didn't try he wouldn't know if he'd like it. If she liked it. Her kissing his gem was the idea maker. The deal breaker. He scratched his head, debating. Until her gave a firm nod. He grabbed Connie's ass cheeks with both hands, surprising her. She looked at him with furrowed brows. He made movements with his lips, as he slid a hand from around her ass, over her leg and thigh, down to her patch. Connie looked at him strangely, as he licked his teeth, then tapped her gently with his thumb. Steven bit his lip and had his brows straight up and shrugged, to say that hey, give it a go. It took her a moment for her to understand, before she blushed and snickered.

Steven grabbed her arms and moved her around to lay her against the mattress, with her head against the back wall. Connie smiled with half lidded eyes, but was seemingly eager to see where he was heading with this. He crawled between her long legs and examined her thighs before pressing his lips against them. Connie shivered with the feeling of his lips, his tongue and even nibbling with his teeth. It almost tickled, but her giggles got mixed up with bits of her cries. He tended to both of them equally, discovering the best spots on her beautiful brown legs that made her squirm with delight. He lifted his head, returning the stare that could crack the toughest person in that moment, but only to make Connie melt instead.

Connie felt his face go more in, feeling his lips and tongue begin to slather her all over down there and his own fingers now digging in her thighs. She could hear the slight popping noises as he tasted her. She began to feel the flush as she moved her arm across her forehead, heating up with the intensity. Her heartbeat went nearly as fast as her quickened breath, hearing the thumps in her head, but not as loudly as the obscene noises that came from his throat. He growled with such a deepened bass as harsh air pierced out of his nose, sending pangs everywhere. Her toes curled as she dug her fingers in his scalp, needing to hold on as she unconsciously lifted her hips upwards. She couldn't stop fidgeting, like she was trying to get grip onto everything and anything but kept failing, refraining from pulling his hair.

She was so incredibly damp and Steven was so hard from every bit of sensation. Though he couldn't determine the true taste. So he figured, it was the ultimate taste of her as his tongue wriggled against her clit. Connie was close, going from heavy panting that had her scampering for sensibility into this haze of twisted spectrum of randomized pallets. Visually unstable and that of audio were mixtures of moist suckling and steadily climbing gasps and cries heightening in to pitch, trying to say something but unable to finish a single word, mainly squeezing her vocals to get his name out in the space of her speedy inhales and exhales, but were cut off constantly. Eventually she felt that inevitable horizon, those stars of peace and insanity within her core once again as her stomach tightened and all was let lose with the stuttered name called out to release the fire within her.

"Ste...Ste...SteEVENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN"

Her body shook and contracted with the eventual flooding; a name called out with such intensity that it risked the world hearing it. Neither cared as Connie laid limp against the mattress, leaving to find her worth again in the fatigue, the drastic shift in the astral plain and to return back to the reality where she could look at him, panting and sweating and releasing...she had enough strength to do one more thing.

Connie sat up a little too quickly, much to Steven's consternation as he moved his head away from her and wiped his face with the back of his hand. He did this for her and her alone and left himself in the steady torment of being left there, untouched. Surely, his ache needed relief. If Steven maintained his goal to do what he needed to do, then it was only fair, that as equals, that she bequeath him with the same satisfaction. She's never done it like this before, but she sure wanted to give it a try too.

Connie ended up pushing him down, a little too eager and a little too forceful that it almost scared him. Connie's mind trampled into the obscure colours of her afterglow, desiring Steven to see the same stars as well. He was...okay, going from the perplexed expression, but as she soon as she had her head over his cock, it became apparent that she wanted a sample as well. Steven went with it, finding it amusing more so in that revelation and adjusted himself to be more comfortable and for her to be in a comfortable position by widening his legs.

It started off with a few licks, curious as to this, red throbbing organ's texture. Weird, rough with the odd vein bump, but she didn't care. Steven whimpered with he running the tips of her fingers over the base, skimming over pubic tufts and eventually and occasionally fondling with his extra male attributes, though making sure she wasn't touching too hard down there. Eventually she took the courage allow the tip to enter her mouth. Steven grew worried, thinking it was too big for her. But with him lathered up with her spit, she was able to put a partial amount of it inside, her head rising up and down with a steady pace in tow.

Steven found it peculiar but...pleasurable, feeling the electrical pulses with ebb and flow and like with Connie, found himself wanting to thrust, though he didn't want to choke her either so he told himself to be extra careful. She would go back and forth between licking, stroking sucking in no particular order. His chest rose and fell, moaning with the content and the sight of her. He laid back and let it all build higher, though one aspect concerned him. What would she do when it would finally happen? Swallow it? It could be gross, she'd gag...though she seemed intent either way. Steven would be okay if she didn't want him to, well, let loose within her mouth. 

He grew worried when she'd started to do slow coughs, perhaps from putting in too much. He had to make sure she didn't hurt herself doing this either. Neither knew what to expect, but within Steven's control, he'd make sure Connie didn't get too carried away. But now he was on the cusp of his own dam opening, panting and groaning loudly with the odd grunt. Steven bit his lip, as Connie went faster. She knew this, but. No...he had to get a hold on it now. He put his hands on her head and ushered her up, where she had a confused look on her face as if asking why he wanted her to stop.

Steven was exceedingly close but not long gone. It didn't feel right...though, she didn't get annoyed as she nodded, understanding that she needed herself to halt, although whether or not Connie knew he did it for her benefit, it didn't matter now, but he was going to come irregardless. Instead she smiled, moving to just pump him instead for the final moments. That was much better. He sat up, getting a better view of her face, bending his knees beside her, looking at her cheeky grin as she pumped him up and down, going a quicker pace. His gem started glowing too, which was a good sign. Steven took in her touch, her face...the wet slicks of his cock as she pumped him as quickly as she could, leaving him almost hungry for more air.

He moaned with a powerful, winding shout as he finally came, his head space going back into the fuzz of absolute nothingness that had his thoughts scattered around him like broken dreams. Dreams he'd thought he'd left behind, but came back with a vengeance. Color, shattered color. White, Yellow, Blue, Pink. Eyes...so many eyes. He opened his to see Connie's and knew he was instantly grounded back into reality. He'd grimaced at that he'd shot himself all over her chest but Connie wasn't fussed with that at all, though she looked on in worry for the disturbed look on his face. 

Did she do something wrong? Was anything wrong? Steven shook his head, one that he thought was clear but now...

No...he mentally drove those thoughts away to lean over and kiss her briefly, touching her face and giving her a reassuring smile.

* * *

They cleaned themselves up, using towels they found from the bathroom upstairs and the spare water from their canteens. It definitely was messy experimentation...but with telling results., good and bad. The pair shortly went to bed and as they slid under the sheets, though Connie could still sense Steven's ire. She felt bad about potentially getting it wrong but that wasn't it. Silly yes, and she wouldn't minded swallowing it all for a taste test but, he decided in not going ahead with that, which, she was entirely okay with too. It was still all about finding what you'd like and didn't like, after all. But thinking back, she was overzealous in returning the favour and just began to feel awful in putting Steven into that position to begin with without asking. She didn't want to break his trust and just very thoughts about this had her in tears, though other thoughts were sprinkled in for good measure, just to make worse like they'd begging to revisited for some time. Steven noticed as they laid on their sides, staring at each other. He frowned, then wiped a tear off her face, giving her a peck on her cheek and wrapping his arms around her and pulling Connie into a tight hug. She ended up doing the same, but couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

Steven ended up crying too; for other reasons. They still had a way to go before they could really understand other in this, confusing bleak place. But they were each others only consolation, only parts of the world they found to share these odd, sensations with. But the pain they had, both bad and good in a way, taught them a lot. He combed his fingers through her hair, to assure her that it was going to be okay and that they will make mistakes. Lust had him doing stupid stuff too. With making him feel just has horrible so he got that. They would continue to do stupid stuff as well. Steven knew he'd had to make a lot of mistakes growing up in order to learn, well now he did. And it was okay, No one was perfect. So he will continue to make mistakes...so would Connie. So all this? He'd come to get a much, much better understanding. To Steven it wasn't an issue, but to Connie, she wouldn't see it that way. Even if their issues weren't always the same, neither weren't the irredeemable. Neither were the monsters, or were the cause of the unforgiving sin. They would move forward and change for the better.

At this stage, however, had Steven's anxiety had been boiling up all day and even in their shared pleasure, didn't do much to ease it. But this...this holding her in his arms in the aftermath did much more and made him perceive it all in a different light. Intimacy in the dry phases was just as important as the wet phases and the tears that would flow would dry up eventually, easing the pressure. His heart would beat quicker, unusually though he couldn't understand why. They were hugging. hearing each others sobs fade away into the worlds unknown, as their anxious souls began to weaken, re birthing their previous positive states. Warm, but oddly steady. With a single laugh from Steven to bring it all that returned colour to them, reminding him of their purpose to keep it together. For the sake of their individuality, for the sake of the future and for others.

Connie felt it in a similar fashion, reverberating a sensation untelling but deeper than anything she'd ever felt before. As she'd wept and as Steven wept, they could bring ease to what they really wanted to get out from one another. Steven wouldn't tell her what was bringing him down so, but...she could definitely feel it. To tell him that he was the best thing that had happened to her in long time, but her courage couldn't let her tell him that. Instead, she had her book and that's what their goal was.

They'd find the Temple of Obsidian soon and that all their questions would be answered. That's a thought that kept them going at least. For what little comfort it could give.

For now, they would have each other and each other to lean and cry without fear. That was comforting enough. 

Their colours weren't the enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have some great (NSFW) fan art for this chapter by Nymphie whom has a frozen a certain scene in time for us in a very passionate display!  
https://i.imgur.com/DIjUhh2.png


	9. Dangerous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven's fears come for to forefront when he sees a familiar orange gem.

**Lesson 9: If in doubt, run.**

Morning came as it did, though as the sun drowned in the clouds on a daily basis so everything was still a bit dull and beige. Peaceful, quiet and the emotions of yesterday left behind. Today was the day they would get to another Temple. How many temples were there? The dots indicated a healthy forty two and so far they'd found three. Well, it was Steven's fourth; finding one before he found Connie. The one prior to meeting her was one that Steven stayed at for a while, honing his skills. Life alone on the open road wasn't an easy one and he'd been hurt in weird ways against monsters he'd never had to fight before. 

Even back then, the inevitability came when he realized he was followed. Marching feet on the hunt and a familiar gruff voice that had forced him to leave. He couldn't tell Connie, though at some point, he had to. That they had sent their best and one of the strongest after him. Escaping from the Compound was not easy feat on its own when you know that dozens of Quartz Warriors were protecting it; or more of a less, were keeping people contained. By some kind of miracle they pulled it off, but knowing the Orange Gem in question, she was simply a dedicated wrangler, on the hunt for any human who dare to escape the Compound. Why she would do that for a single human anyway? He'd hoped that perhaps, the outside world would kill him in her eyes and that it wouldn't matter. But no. 

And the outside world was indeed scary....empty...dull. But open. The outside world had this melancholic freedom; white noises of the wind instead of screaming and shouting. Steven hoped the silence would be deafening. Instead, it had him hearing his own thoughts like they were amplified by a microphone.

Seeing one single other being outside; it instantly gave him hope and joy. She was hurt and without a second thought, he took her in and healed her wounds. He'd no longer had his own thoughts to listen to and instead focused on her alone and her happiness. Of course Steven still had a job to do and he'd been doing it for years. Everything he took from her was her smile, her laugh...her self. In exchange, he'd given her everything he could provide...making up for what he couldn't do before. 

So why were these dreams coming back in full swing?

* * *

The day ahead had them both eager to find the next temple. Although, the sounds of marching feet echoed nearby with Steven's advanced hearing which had paranoia run through him like an electric shock. He looked at Connie who had been packing her bag. Steven froze instantly, where he'd dropped his. Connie turned to him, looking at him strangely. He then peeped through the little rectangular window that looked out to the ground outside. He squinted, seeing rows of armored Quartz Warriors of many colours, scouring the roads and homes. They couldn't have been followed this entire time, surely.

Steven turned as he rested his back against the wall and began to hyperventilate, then put his hands against his mouth to stop himself from making noise. Connie ran up to him, trying to figure out what was going on. He pointed towards the window, as Connie jumped to cling on the window's, seeing what he did. 

Connie had never seen Steven so scared before, with the horror written all over his face and seeing those...big, bulky and armored coloured warriors that him petrified instantly had her on the offense. She was willing to fight, but.

No, she shouldn't be reckless like that. Reckless behavior got her no where before. The Quartz soldiers had to be looking for something, although, when looking in Steven's eyes said everything. That was enough for her to get her head in the game and figure out a plan that would get them out of this town safely.

Once they had gotten themselves organised, the pair ran upstairs to peer through a small crack in the window. There must have been like twenty when they counted. Steven inhaled in his attempt to push out his inner turmoil and to get serious. He kept a close eye out while Connie looked for a way to leave, slapping the map on a nearby coffee table and scanning the perimeter. They were situated in the smack middle of the township and the next temple was to the north of their location. It would only take a good, perhaps three to five hour walk.

They figured out the easiest and quickest route to take in that sense, going through the back door since the house was just off of a main street. The backyard had a tall wooden fence that Steven broke with a single punch, splitting several planks in half with ease. Connie squeezed out first, then Steven. Their eyes were ever so attentive, finding themselves in the backyard of another house. The back entrance had no door, as they sprinted through the ruins of a house that was once was considered a mint blue in the fade. Both went to the front door and opened it, though straight away saw a series of Soldiers coming around the nearby corner and smacked the door closed. Damn it.

They ended up jumping out the nearby kitchen window and had jumped the smaller white picket fence to go the next house made of brick. It ended up being the case they had to do this multiple times to keep in front of the Quartz Warriors that kept coming closer. They would search every building anyway. It came a point where they found themselves at a corner property, kicking up dusts before they got to the curb. Heavy footsteps came from their left, as the pair hid behind a tall wooden gate that had a hole big enough for them to see the intersection, where the warriors met up with a specific orange Quartz in the middle. The one with the most decorated of armor and a maroon cloak and the wild beige-white flowing hair and eyes of amber. She was an enemy of colour, blended in with the harsh shades of the faded world. She spoke with the other warriors, whom were muttering something about being unable to find the Shield-Warrior.

Steven swallowed, unnerved by the gem. Connie looked at him, realizing that they were indeed searching for himself. She wouldn't let that happen. They waited until the group disbanded before moving again. Once out of their sight, they checked around every corner and slowly left the premises and sprinted across the intersection to go down the next road. Steven had forgotten the amount of days since he last saw her but it had been a few years and she was still going. He looked down to see Connie's hand on her blade, shaking it under nerve. Steven grabbed her spare hand as they walked, assuring her that it was going to be okay.

They were so close to the exit outside of town, where there were more hollow trees and another dead forest ahead of the dark road, but it held the path and direction to the next temple that was hidden there. They began to make a run for it, until two purple Quartzes walked around the corner. Amethyst Soldiers; complete with periwinkle skin and brushy white hair and plum coloured armor, as Steven identified them. Connie went ahead and stood in front of Steven to defend as she held her sword in front of her, complete with glaring eyes meant to intimidate.

The Quartz Warriors stood there, confused by the odd display. The two looked pretty casual, standing, unsure of what they should do. They looked one another and shrugged. Steven shook his head, knowing they didn't have time for this and grabbed Connie's hand to run by them. One of them eventually took note and blocked their path as they slid in place with a deceitful grin on their face. They pulled out an axe, using their spare hand to gesture them to come closer, daring them with the raised fingers and near demonic smile. While Steven was tempted to use his shield, but Connie pushed his arm down, using an expression that told him to think...and think he did. They wanted something. So he put his bag down and pulled out the purple bear and showed it to them. Connie rose an eyebrow as Steven walked up with the bear itself, even if the Amethyst itself was still on the defense. It was then the other one slid into place and snatched up the bear and took a good look at it, smiling all the while and ended up hugging it. The first Amethyst grew angry and attempted to snatch it from the second one who growled at the the former. Connie blinked, exceptionally confused when the pair started to brawl, their fight bringing them into a dust cloud of their own making and ending up going down the street opposite them. Steven smirked, proud that his plan worked. He took Connie's hand and ran them down to the exit and into the nearby Dead Forest.

* * *

Again, like something had been copied and pasted, the dull brown trees were of clusters around the path that got more darker the more they went in. Once they knew they were in the clear, they could keep going. The forest itself was large and the Temple they were looking for wasn't that far away. Steven was worried however, that they would still be followed. Though part of the danger had passed at this point, but caution still had to managed. Steven wondered if Connie had ever met another....gem. Gem Warriors like Quartzes were generally ones to avoid in that instant. But they could be goofy, if not rung into line by their commanding officer. Steven could be thankful that they got off lucky.

However, Steven knew the inevitable was coming up. Connie would have be informed of the real danger that they had faced. He wanted to walk and talk, but...she just took his hand and walked with him. Her composure held confidence but her face didn't. It was more serious than anything. Was she angry with him? He couldn't tell. Unless...was she furious that he just happened to give away the bear that she gave him in good faith?   
She was resolute but untelling of what she was really feeling, remaining stoic and defiant of anything obvious. He became worried, frowning as they went further in.

It got darker as a fog begun to spread through the forest, making a bit harder to see. The temperature dropped dramatically, making it a bit chillier than they'd like it be. Steven enjoyed fog breath normally and tried hard to cheer Connie up as he made funny faces while doing so. At first, Connie's eyes became half lidded as they checked on him with the goofy clowinish ways he blew the fog out of his own mouth, remaining peeved from reasons unknown. The number of times he just wanted to make people happy was those he come to care for at the Compound. So to him, the one he could help achieve some semblance of a cheery mode was currently devoid of any kind of optimism. 

To Connie, she wasn't mad at Steven. Not in the slightest. She was more worried about the people who are after him and it made it much more important to her than to make sure that he got to safety. The way his body language was earlier, about how he fretted over it had her wanting to find somewhere safe, so they could train hard enough to fight these warriors, who ever they were. They eventually diverged from the main path, seeing that the temple wasn't too far off, but the trees here were much thicker as the fog that they could have easily gotten lost.

And they did.

For the next several hours it felt like they going around in circles. Until there was a sound, a cry that echoed off the trees. Connie felt compelled to follow it, despite the possibility it could lead them to grave danger. It wasn't a monster, it didn't growl like a monster. It spoke no name or common tongue, but it was a calling that filtered through branches and trunks. Hooting, if they could describe it. It might as well be night time. 

They did come across another open area and another temple at last. Connie noticed a pattern; with the current count of temples they'd visited already, she knew that there would have to be a monster guarding this place too. The blues stone, square shaped construct stood before them as Steven detached to go open the door, although he kept an eye out for any strange monsters. He rested his hand on the console which opened the door. He then noted the growling that came from behind the Micro Temple itself and it crawled itself around to the front of it. A purple beast with lavender strands with a long main and strong jaws, with spikes on where its eyes should be. Steven pulled out his shield, as Connie jumped in front of him once more, prepared to defend him again, to his dismay.

The monster charged as Connie rolled out of the way, as did Steven. It paid more attention to him than Connie, who then tried to slice it from behind but ended up getting kicked by a back leg, resulting in her flying backwards. Ugh...not again.

This was the problem. The two were out of sync when it came to fighting together, in her opinion. Either he fought and he won or she intervened and just got herself hurt. Killing that one monster was fine sure but she needed to improve. Monsters were countless in her eyes and she was honestly sick of running. So the only way that she'd be able to get better was to be able to get a better idea of how Steven moves about or even practice fight with him. She started with now as she got back up, with Steven on the defense. She looked at how he raised his shield and wonder if she could take advantage of that. She ran around the monster to get an opportunity for when the time was right, when Steven raised his shield above his head, Connie jumped on top of it, then with his reflex, sent her jumping up high above the monster to drive her sword downwards and through its body. It poofed shortly after. That felt good. Really good.

She watched as Steven went to pick up the gem itself, only for something to fly past and snatch the gem away, which stunned Steven enough to have him stand there for a minute to be able to get what just happened. He looked around, weirded out, but...the gem was no where to be seen. He grew paranoid again, with the general process being it could reform anywhere. He was about to follow, until his stomach started to growl. Accepting their small win for now, the two entered the Micro-Temple safely. Not starving to death was a priority, after all. 

The two set up for the night while Connie cooked up a nice dinner of canned pumpkin soup they'd picked up on the previous scrounging through town while Steven observed the room around them. The usual blue stone of course but it was the button to press to open the secret is what he wanted to find. The walls had designs of numerous warriors in a ring which left him trying to think of what could be behind the wall. Though all it did was trigger flashbacks that hurt more than it helped. He stood back. He was tired of running too. It was getting late and that the monster could come back at any moment so they had to be prepared. Steven found the pad on the left, revealing a huge spacious room that held a series of weapons on wooden racks against the far side wall. Flamed torches lit up as they entered to scope it out. It reminded him of the training grounds back at the Compound where one used to be able to see the Quartz Warriors spar. Swords, spears, axes, you name it. It left Connie in awe, getting up from the pot as she approached the rack, running her fingers carefully against the hilts of the swords. Perfect. The perfect place to train.

Connie got excited, much to Steven's puzzled delight. Though one sword that got her attention was one etched above on the wall. Long, decorative. It was only a piece of art with the white line art they'd come to expect, underneath another star flag. Steven furrowed his brows, trying to understand and failing to understand why that drawing seemed so familiar. At last, perhaps it would be here he'd be able to refine his skills, preferably with Connie. He had the desire to improve and that he'd come to understand how she moved about. She was impressionable with the passion for combat and what better way to develop than to use the space provided. They decided that they could remain here for a day or two.They had enough supplies for a while at least.

After dinner, the two snuggled with one another after trying to find a way to fit both of them into a sleeping bag (read: very awkwardly) as Steven wrapped an arm around Connie's waist, being the big spoon and trying to sleep while she read a book using the light of her glow bracelet. He buried his face into her back and curled his body around her, but his mind raced so much it could speed across the globe twenty times in an hour. He didn't want anything bad to happen to Connie but at the same time, he figured it was better this way. Steven didn't know what he'd do if anything happened to her. He could heal her which was fine, but...in a way, his heart would skip a beat every time she got hit. It wasn't a matter of trust..but another, odd but powerful emotion that ran through him that no amount of touching would be able to satiate. It was a dangerous emotion that could be inflamed when it wanted it to be and Steven, to his dismay, could not control it.

He breathed in Connie's scent, knowing she was there, in his arms. He didn't want to let her go...he didn't want her to be in this mess that was accidentally created and he felt like everything started because of him, yet he couldn't determine the reason...for his curse. This curse that had him fight like them. But also feel like a human should. At least, going from what his Dad told him, anyway. His born into this world of confusion, trying to figure out what his existence meant. He wanted to use this unique circumstance to the best of his ability so that maybe the world would no longer be afraid of colour; released from the conflicts.

Later that night, while Connie was asleep, Steven woke up to the hooting, like before. He carefully edged himself out of the sleeping bag and went outside. He looked around, only hearing the slight howls of the wind as they curved around tree trunks and branches. He then looked, his eyes widening at the sight before him.

There sat the Purple Bear at the entrance, unharmed. Steven was about to panic until he noticed a piece of paper attached to the plush. Steven picked them up and uncoiled the paper.

"Keep heading north to the House of Light. The truth is buried there - A"


	10. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Connie spar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone has any questions about anything in this AU and how it compares to the main series, I'm happy to answer (most) questions without spoilers. I'm not sure I'll cover every little thing in the fic itself but going by the AU's lore it has a few considerable differences compared to the main canon.

**Lesson 10: Hone your skills.**

Fighting would be considered commonplace in the wastelands. A dreary situation with survivors battling it out for the best resources. But teaming up with someone who could cover your weak spots nicely would make for a mighty combination indeed.

Steven showed Connie the note and made future plans to head north, but not before spending the day as planned battling it out in friendly combat. Connie was desperate to learn and grow, as was Steven. Talking about allies, however. The Purple Bear. The Note. Someone out there was trying to help them? It made Steven a combination of both scared, stunned and optimistic for the future ahead of them. Who was A? It rummaged his mind like nothing else. 

Today was gonna be new day, a new activity. Goodness Steven knows it would be a matter of time until the Quartz Warriors caught up to them. The unknown ally, the unseen ally...perhaps they knew? But..Steven's instinct told him that if they were gonna return the bear unharmed, then they couldn't be bad...right? Anyone who hurt the cutest bear in the world was definitely categorized as a monster. The two stood on opposite ends as Connie had wrapped cloth around her hands as she gripped her blade and Steven was purely hesitant to fight against her. It wasn't going to be that serious but they had to be when trouble would coming knocking.

In the breadth of the first clash of steel against the shield sent sparks and the twang that sent a forceful wave outwards that almost knocked Connie over, Steven winced, fearful of hurting her. But she was tenacious, bold going from that extraordinary look of sheer determination that burned through her entire form. Knocked down, up again. They maneuvered a bit sloppily at first, but that's what the training was for. Developing the trust, the instinct, the way the other worked in battle. It was both a dance and a fight at the same time. Steven would keep on the defense while Connie worked on endless, tireless strikes to keep Steven on his toes. It was meant for him to not underestimate his foes and to underestimate Connie.

No doubt she had the strength necessary even for a full human, with Steven seeing her just as ferocious as any warrior, Gem or human. Would she be able to go up against the more tougher enemies? Maybe. She had no real power to call her own but something within Steven told him that it may be enough the Quartz Warriors pause. So she actually needed something stronger to support her. The scimitar was a formidable weapon, but it might not be able to hold its own in a real battle, subject to possible blunting or the like. You get what you could get and the monsters wouldn't know the difference. But Quartz Warriors definitely would and wouldn't hesitate to give the ultimate throw down. Connie deserved something to match them in the most prudent and life-threatening of all combat.

They tried out the different sets of weapons on the rack as Connie tried them all. Each of them had their own pros and cons when it came to being able to use them properly. But the one that fascinated the pair the most was the one drawn on the wall. The long, unusual sword of peculiar, flowery and regal decor. It called to Steven more so in the sense of familiarity, though he couldn't understand why.

The two kept at it for the rest of the day, sweating up a storm. In a way, Steven felt weird in thinking that all this...fighting, despite how exhausting it had become, turned him on a little bit. She was down to a bra and pants, but he couldn't allow himself to be distracted by her curves and the way the sweat rolled down her body. Connie was the same, with Steven in a singlet and shorts, licking her lips as she admired his muscles. The two couldn't help but giggle between the more serious grunts and battle cries. It shouldn't have been a game and the two had to take this more seriously than they had been. It would literally be a matter of life and death.

One part of Steven did become worried about was that, in the back of his head, seeing Connie slice and dice and with the fury of her storming blade, that she could easily fall to similar blood lust like a Quartz Warrior.

If there was anything Steven learned about his heritage, was that Quartz Warriors thrived in a violent environment and his ultimate fear was turning out like that. Connie's easily seen that extent as he hurt her back in the antique shop and she's seen what they're up against. If Steven could admit it, it'd be the only reason why he'd survived this long. This, inner Quartz instinct to have him fall into the iron-taste of battle. It was disgusting and he really did not want to go in that direction if he could help it. To temper such urges with directing them in the right direction, to the right enemy.

Like to restrain the temptation to make love to Connie right there and then. He wanted to as the hungers were similar in that regard. Connie tasted sweeter than metal and it was meant to have the other feel better and not to kill them. It was amazingly and agonizingly similar, a flame to burn in either direction. The lust. The lust to send one into oblivion or to send their mind to heaven for a brief moment. Both really started with unjust strain with a simple thrust.

Steven was lucky that for what training he had already put himself through, allowed him mold his desires to protect others. Though he had really no one to protect until he met Connie. Though she sent his mind scrambling on occasion in the wake of the confusion of his feelings for her. He wanted to treat her with the utmost respect and with boundaries. Though some of those boundaries were eventually demolished over time so now, Steven wasn't entirely sure what he should be feeling.

Yes they had a goal in mind but...twisted and opposing feelings came to his troubled mind. Hot, cold...mild, powerful, painful, excruciating. Dry. Wet. Smooth, Rough. Exhilarating. Dull, sensual. The spectrum that blurred the lines between right and wrong.

He had to steel himself to comprehend it all on different intensities. Some of them simple, some were incredibly hard to decipher. His Dad could teach him the human basics, but what parts of him on the emotional side were gem centric? The need to fight? That brief moment of power any time he crushed a monsters gem and absorbed their power?

The training went well and went for pretty much all day as planned. Both collapsed on the ground next to each other, drenched in sweat, absolutely exhausted. Steven turned his head to her, pulling off a proud, wide grin in response to her hard efforts and she smiled in return. His heart was still racing for multiple reasons but one thing was certain.

That smile there was worth all the trouble.

* * *

Connie made dinner that night as the two tried to relax. Though Steven himself appeared a bit tense still, as if on edge. She looked at him as he dug into his meal and he looked up at her with a surprised expression with the brown meat soup trickling down his stuffed up face. She laughed all the while, which embarrassed him slightly, going from how red his face went before he wiped his face with the back of his hand, though even he couldn't help but smile, as it leaked out of him just as badly. 

After dinner, they planned out the following day ahead of them. They both planned to spend a bit of time in town, hopefully if the Quartz Warriors had already left in the wake of their search. The entirety of the town itself was yet to be scoped before they left, being quite large in scale and generally it would take a few days there to scout out more resources. Once done, their plan was to head back, train and plan some more. If there was anything Connie took pride in, was her ability to plan ahead. Schedules didn't have to be rigid, but she took inspiration from her parents who used to do that all the time. Planning out routes, potential hotspots and hiding places etc. If the note that Steven found outside told them anything, it gave them a little bit of hope. Though Connie herself was understandably suspicious, thinking that it could turn out to be a trap left behind. Which made all the training and preparation that much more important.

Once the plan was made, the two settled down to attempt to sleep, though Steven was a bit antsy and struggled, pacing about in just his shorts. She'd seen how capable he was in helping train her but the more they had gone into the mock fighting, the closer he came to actually hurting her by accident, whether he knew that or not. There was a bit of aggression in his voice, his grunts and the way he fell into this haze when he fought. They weren't being that serious but Connie could see the high he experienced while doing so. He was a natural...which made it all the more disconcerting to witness. He didn't want to hurt yet he was really good at what he did. She observed his stance, his form. The way he moved. Inspirational as Connie took to making sure she was playing close attention to his moves while he played close attention to hers. It was really all about covering one another and watching each others backs.

She sat up, trying to get him to go to sleep as she patted the space next to her. Steven stopped in his tracks to inhale deeply through his nose and exhale through his mouth and rubbed his forehead. Something was up as Connie slid out of bed though she was unsure on how she could calm him down. His body language was telling stress with his furrowed brows and twitchy fingers. She handed him his canteen but that did little as only took a sip and handed it back. 

Adrenaline continued to run through his veins in the aftermath, not wavering by the slightest margin. Something disturbed the even flow of his hormones and it frustrated him greatly. He looked to Connie, who was genuinely trying to ease his pain even she herself wasn't able to understand it. He hated how he felt right now. A fire that could easily get out of control. It was similar to the night in the cabin. The pent up aggression and his growing feelings for Connie combined into this passion that imploded considerably. Steven wanted to touch her but he would lose everything to the beast within. The violent, relentless Quartz that both served to help and to hinder.

Perhaps in a way, fighting the monsters wasn't too difficult since the battles were normally short and sweet. Mindless, untamed and despite the size of a few, weren't that hard to take down so a lot of Steven's actions were minimal. Training all day with Connie, however, awakened the inner gem within him and made him realize that he could just be potentially as horrible as the Orange Gem he was afraid of.

A gasp escaped him as Connie wrapped her arms around his giant body, with his eyes widening in surprise at the act. It tripped him out of his troubled thoughts for that brief moment, for the sincere clarity he was thankful for, however, what went up, must come down.

He gritted his teeth, desperate not to fall from grace from where he was. He looked down at her and gave her an awkward smile as sweat rolled down his forehead. This was getting worse and he didn't want Connie to cop it all in one go. Steven swallowed hard and did all he could to suppress all the tension, the boiling urge to pick her up and slam her against the wall. He knew of animals that once existed that more of a less had more restraint than him. He started to shake in different parts of his body. Connie refused to let go until he made a decision...and as he started to cry from the pain of quashing and failing to curb his current desires. No...he couldn't do it. He pulled her off of him and waved his hands, shaking his head at her to stand away. It left her confused and saddened at the rejection of her comfort. She reached out with her hand, getting closer, but stopping shy as he turned to the wall. He needed release.

His first action was to slam the wall with his fist, shaking the room they were in and causing it to rumble about. He removed his fist from the crater he created, then looked at Connie with a tearful expression. Shocked, wide eyed and unable to move on her own with this sudden show of force. She had to be scared of him, surely. A wave of tormenting guilt flowed through him, weakening his knees as he fell to the ground. Connie with a single thought ran over and tried to cradle his head in her hands and to have him stare into her glistening brown eyes. Brown eyes of hope, love and all that was pure in the faded world in contrast to the monster he knew he was becoming. 

Steven's thoughts traced back instantly back to the Compound...remembering this was what gave his form away in the first place.

Connie kissed him on the cheek and put her arms around his neck. She whispered a single word into his ears and it made him tremble in his place.

"Breath."

What ever was the combination of his composition turning him this way and the ways of his harsh-sworn past, it was nearly undone at the mere whisper. Steven took deep, whimpered and labored breaths. Connie did as well, trying to sync it all in. Her softness, her compassion and willfulness to stick by him despite his flaws. Connie deserved better than him. Connie didn't care about all of that. She cared about the man who saved her life and gave the smiles that brought warmth all over. This fight he had with himself was unnecessary in her opinion and his suppression did him no good. 

Connie relented in her own self, basing a decision to let him have her for the night for the sake of his well-being was worth the risk. He wouldn't want her to but after careful consideration, he needed it. Training was fun but in Connie's mind that this was important. If it had him feeling relieved at the end of it then that's what mattered. It was a difficult decision and it could potential end with her a bit sore afterwards but it would fade away. She wanted him to feel better and not to feel any guilt about all of this.

She moved back, to stare in his pleading, distressed eyes. He continued to make deep breaths, though he found hard to cycle through what she was thinking. She was stoic, still in form and was more made of stone than he was in that instance. She kissed his quivering lips as he took her in with a sharp inhale through his nose but also stunning him greatly. She skimmed her fingers down his cheek then to his neck and dived her tongue into his mouth, eliciting a tremored grunt from his throat. They worked on taking in and tasting each other in that brief minute, before his brows furrowed. In a few swift movements he'd picked her and despite his objections to the idea prior, pinned her body hard but not too hard against the wall as she felt the cold stone against her back. Why was she allowing for this? Why was she letting him do this? His motions went through the general directions; her knees by his hips as he held her, grinding himself against her in the meanwhile as she made sure she held her arms around his neck still for that ample amount of support to hold her in place.

Truth to Connie herself, she wouldn't mind. She was also disgusted in her horny self, thinking about the different ways he could ravish her and she was disappointed on where her thoughts had been leading her. It wasn't a constant idea that ran with her all day but the odd spot of thought did dip in that direction the occasion, thinking of his form, his focused, determined look. He definitely was one of them but he was a good person. So it didn't really matter anymore to Connie anymore on who he was. It was how he was. Considerate, sweet....those that could not said of the foes they had already faced and those who come into the picture down the line. There was no denying that. Connie hadn't been that type of fool for as long as she could remember.

She was a different type of fool now though, succumbing to desires like a dirty delinquent, filthier than what the outside world offered. But this risk, this was for him and she felt like she owed him. He would object to that but that's what she liked about him. He could show consideration and would try to think of alternatives but in the end, Connie figured that this was the only way to curb it and well, if he enjoyed it, taking it in as an experience, then so be it. There were worse things out there, anyway. This was a lesson for her. To know herself more and her limits and Steven's too.

Steven slid his shorts down then with his fidgety fingers, did the same with her pants, pulled them down and then her underwear and bras. His grinding had her considerably wet prior, rubbing his lump against her crotch. Once with the proper adjustments made. he slid his hardened cock inside of her and began to thrust with a bit of speed and with heavy grunting. This was bad, but Connie didn't seem to mind, left in a pleasured gasp as he rested his chin on her shoulder, as with hers on his and fingers digging into his neck and back with the mixture of dry and wet coming into play on their skin and a slight chill, yet with slightly radiated heat filling the air in an interesting paradox.

Not much needed to be taught or directed in this lesson, only for him to tell himself not to go too hard although that itself was nearly an impossible mission. Connies cries filled his ears and poured the songs of her pleasure down them that flowed into his body to tell him what he had to do. What he wanted to do, listening into the instruments of him slapping and slicking himself against her. All this energy and all this power. Would any Gem begin to fathom it? The ways of the Quartz Warrior put into less violent but creative ways that they could never be able to understand unless someone tells them how.

Connie's body roiled and swelled in waves. This amount of intensity had her wondering if Steven really wanted to, he could destroy her instantly. His big torso against her, rubbing her breasts with his body and his cold, hard gem against her stomach as he moved with quickened pace. There was a definite caution Steven took and Connie knew he was definitely holding back on her. He was faster than the first time but more confident. His grunts, groans filtered through her senses like nothing else. It was meant for him to recover but Connie felt bad for taking advantage of it. Though she debated if she should be feeling bad. Was this the best idea to allow him to mellow out his tensions? Maybe. Maybe not.

She reaped it all in the same way, eventuating in the coils unraveling in that moment, coming with her mind turning to the fuzzy stars while her whole body heated up and flushed with the course completed on her end. Steven upped the pace, his body being educated with her moans and with his lesson due to finish any moment now. Jittery breaths, broken groans etc. Every playable note in the symphony played out as he whined. He didn't want this power but he had it anyway and using it against Connie was wrong...but it allowed to realize the range of his strength and where and where not to go to. She was too beautiful to hurt and it would be the last idea Steven would have, if his body would just let him do what he wanted it to. Unfortunately he could be a slave to it. Where he wanted his thoughts and form to cooperate as equals. His powers would listen to him now but all of this had been unlocked and half the time he was left guessing and testing it all out for both him and Connie.

The last few quickly paced thrusts came into place before his body shook, coming into Connie with imbued release and a mighty roar to finish it off. Both of them panted as Steven quickly got himself out and immediately once he got himself back from the brink, tending to Connie's needs. She was okay, if not a bit overwhelmed. She knew this ahead of time, but Steven found it extra important to take care of her as he checked on her well-being; looking at her eyes and her contented face and ending it with a tight hug of assurance and trust. With the full human weak at the knees, Steven took hold of her hand to prevent her from falling as they went towards cleaning up after themselves.

Did he feel better? Yes. Was Connie okay? They both went inside the sleeping bag, with Connie feeling the sting but in all honesty, was okay. Her smile was enough to satiate his concerns about the whole endeavor.  
She was a brave woman to endure it, that was for sure. He had to make it up to her somehow.

For now, the two snuggled into each other, with the relief on their minds allowing them both to sleep easy that night with lessons learned. 


	11. Paradox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Connie discover a piece of old human technology.

**LESSON 11: Not everything makes sense**

The following day, with clear heads and clouded grey skies, the two headed into town as per the plan to gather resources. It was interesting, how a pattern began to show on how every dawn was fresh and renewed, but when it came to the darkest of dusk, it embroiled a hidden shadow to fog their minds, driving them mad. Both of them had to fight for rest in ways that was ease them into sleep. Connie was constantly worried something would happen to Steven, knowing how hard it was for him to get a decent snooze even if the days ahead should tire them completely. No night had definite integrity unless they made an effort.

The morning was young as they wandered the voided, dusty streets with a slight chilled northern breeze. The two ensured they had their eyes peeled, scanning for any sudden movement in case the Quartz Warriors were to return. An odd calmness was brought on, however, which whispered to their stressed minds that everything was going to be okay. Connie wanted to believe....Steven wanted to believe....but at the same time, neither wanted to.

It was an main issue being a resident of such a vast, empty space. So much one could expect to occur in the desolate void without colour and yet at the same time, nothing happened most of the time. You'd only believe you're the small fry against the potential endless army of giant monsters eager to tear you apart. You'd be right and you'd be wrong. What a strange world to contain such a bouquet of paradoxes presented to you in a random fashion. What a strange world to have you believe that in the back of your head, you're in another dimension. Another dimension, another plane of existence that aims to test every living thing to their limits and then some.

The world definitely had its mystery. Connie only knew so little about it. Connie wanted to see rain. Steven only knew so little about it. Steven wanted to see peace...renewal....the boy that was promised the world. The world in would return would promise itself to heal. It was a contradiction in progress; for reclamation to be possible, would require the possibility for reclamation to take place. The world could not heal itself unless they started to heal it first.

The only question was how.

Why the world declined ceased to be the answer they craved. The how was the greatest mystery of their time. How to heal. Steven was gifted with this power to heal and yet...he had done more harm. Endless battles that lead them nowhere. Outward battles. Inward battles. The pent up energies that sought escape in ways that would hurt others. It was why he held back. He couldn't risk unleashing hell itself. Steven's dad knew this and that it became apparent when he got older.

But he also had the desire for happiness. A sullen atmosphere that was robbed of all the positive moisture and left with the driest of dread in its place. Despair. Ruin. Everything once good, turned to ashes and dust and left curling in the wind like it never existed; but it had always existed.

One day they'll stop the fighting. One day the world will learn to fight back.

The two came across a large facility. A school, one would have it. Connie had come across a few of them in her time and it had her excited oddly enough. Her parents would explain to her how classroom were made to dedicate education to children and for some adults. To learn was what Connie wanted. Learn everything she could. She walked into one of them, though each of them told the same tale irregardless. Broken down rooms with white tiled floors and blue walls of torn paper, filled with fallen chairs and tables spread across unevenly on the right as she entered. Connie could see the dust as it poured past the faded light from the nearby window. A dirty chalkboard with a bit of senseless scribbling on the left and a scratched up cream coloured desk. Connie ran her finger across the edge and stopped when she got to the other side, examining the amount of dust collected on the tip of her index. One could guess, through old lore, that the amount of dust collected suggested how much time would have past, but Connie could never make sense of it. Large. Fifty years? A hundred years? Her parents made the suggestion but never properly taught her how to work it out the right way. How long since it rained last? How long ago did the Old Civilization fade away?

Connie still craved those answers but...no one told her anything. Her parents made up stories of untruths that went nowhere. Only past snippets of what once was and may never be again. To be in a place of learning however, brought unkind joy to Connie's heart. To learn everything they could about the world of before. Nothing survived unfortunately, with everything always ending up in non-salvageable pieces. Those that could be, told little...and a lot.

It was then Steven burst into the room, overly enthused and exuberant for an unknown reason, though Connie suspected he'd found something that made him that way. She smirked, despite being flummoxed. He took her hand and the two were suddenly running around in the hallways at great speed, with blurs all around her until they arrived at a new destination.

The room itself had a tall roof and was much wider and larger overall. Walls were tinged in a red hue but with a bigger chalk board on the far back wall with rows of lines and other unknown symbols and the floor a checkerboard of black and white with some tiles fractured. The room had stacked plastic chairs and tables in a neater way, but held the aged musk about its nature. Steven immediately went to the desk at the front, presenting a small, rounded, long grey device that was connected with a black cable to a squarish white device with a crack screen and a circular pad underneath. Connie was, perplexed to say the least as to what he'd actually found.

Most technology they found hardly functioned properly without proper power. Power her parents said often provided a myriad of things before the collapse. Her parents talked about TVs and lights before candles. Yet Steven knew what this was. They all put their stuff aside, before Steven returned back and the thumbed his lip, contemplating on how he should use it. Connie left to it him to discover more as she turned to the back wall.

A huge poster adorned it with mixtures of red and blue and graffiti'd scribbles. Two figures in red and blue silhouettes held each others hands. An advertisement for some kind of performance or show going by how over the top and dramatic it looked, with the flow of what Connie could note were roses scattered among its borders. On the top in huge pink and blue letters were the words. 'The Answer'. A love story, no doubt.

Reading some books sparked some kind of imagination, wondering if they could dip into those fictional worlds to escape from this harsh reality and suddenly Connie realized why she liked them so much. Anything was better than here, but would it mean leaving something behind?

She turned back to Steven, who then held both of the devices in his left and right hands and squeezed his eyes shut. He appeared strained, forcing out a pink aura that had his entire body glowing with the strange power that flowed into the devices, which left Connie stunned at this ability she never realized he had. Or he'd never had the opportunity to take advantage of. He put the rounder device on the table and kept the squarish device in his hand, rubbing his thumb around the circular pad and making the odd click here and there. It was then noise, sound...music came out of the longer rounder object.

The notes of an ancient instrument pounded through; a speaker of old. Piano; then a violin came through as well. It was both sad and joyful and yet...it brought out a thunderous charge through Connie's heart and soul, thoughts left touched and untouched in tandem, a rhythm untold.

When Steven first saw the devices there, he took the time to understand them. One, a portable speaker, the other, the source of power to bring music to life. He wanted to show Connie and he wanted to let her hear those songs of the world of before. He'd never heard of them himself, but his Dad told and taught him about it. It wouldn't have mattered on what came on the other end. It was an echo of the previous existence. To demonstrate to Connie that the life of before could be as beautiful as she. A Markless, one of the free and that being free meant all these amazing discoveries...but it brought on the heartache of knowing that echoes were simply the cries of the olden world.

Preservation of life through sound waves. Creativity at its finest. Meant to enrapture and bind and send thought trails into a flurry. To synchronize, to have hearts beat as one to the melodies, the harmonies. They knew of songs but to hear that of others...others that there and gone but a fragment of their spirit remaining within their creation.

Steven offered her a hand, knowing this was the best part of making music. Energies poured into an era of mental escape, telling you but not telling you, that you could create more from its inspiration. Connie's mind was left in eternal wonder, but eventually eternity broke as she took his hand. He saw the glint in Connie's eyes, knowing she wanted to be here and wanted to seek out the glory of knowledge in this sacred place. Sacred to her, it was. What Steven had learned already...the magical power of dance and whether or not Connie danced too. She knew of music and could play the violin. So the scope of nostalgia that was read from her subtle, but noticeable expression told him everything she wanted, even if she didn't say what she wanted.

He pulled her in closer, with a yelp skipping out of her as he brought her close. It left her flabbergasted all the while as he took one of her hands on put it on his shoulder, while he put one on her waist and left his spare intertwining with hers. Steven gave her a warm smile that her shivering with some kind of conflicting emotions. He took the lead, moving his feet forward as Connie found herself moving alongside him. All their training, to read the other person, paid off as she could tell from the signs he made with his body language of what she needed to do. She had hardly danced before and even then, it was only with her dad in the rarest of occasions.

Their movements went alongside the notations of the song. Their bodies couldn't deny the instinct or the prevailing desires that had them feeling pretty different from what they were used to. Steven twirled her, rounding her form in the twists and turns of this unfair world that was being fair for a change. Steven didn't know but knew. Connie knew but didn't. It was a swirling, churning, burning system of goodness knows what had them moving about in the ways they did, taking the charge on the wide floor and being mindful of their surroundings even if their eyes had been focused on the others the entire time, reading everything about the other like a book but still unable to see the text beyond the cover. No blurb, no contents, no chapters, no sense. It came to the point where Steven's gem had begun to glow with increasing intensity and neither realized it, trapped in this growing, foreign, pleasant and unpleasant feeling.

Their minds became entangled in a whirlwind of light. Calm...furious, still, storming. Thoughts whirring about in words unspoken, unseen...unable to be read at all yet they could still see the meaning. Another dimension, another plane of existence. Intense emotions in the wake of the conjoined flames bursting from their hearts, blending in colours of pink and blue. Reality escaped in that brief moment..and returned to them shortly after.

The other was there but was not, where when the fire itself was put out, it was still quite hot indeed. The temperature refused to cool down, leaving them in a sweat.

A single hand reached out, long. Left to ponder where the other was. Left to seek out the secondary being they were just with but they had just disappeared. They panicked, looking around the room for the sight of the one they were holding, for the one who held them. Their eyes darted across the room as the music stopped so suddenly. They rubbed their cheeks, seeing their darker skin tone too on their hands, then found themselves looking down. Boots. Boots they were and weren't wearing just recently. What were they again? 

A mirror was in the corner, surprisingly uncracked. They'd gone past it several times but then noticed someone they'd never seen before within its reflection. They approached it, not recognizing the tall curvy figure before them with the long, dark purple hair, black leather jacket and jeans and faded blue robes that acted as a skirt. They knew who they were but they didn't. They looked up at the poster of the red and blue silhouettes, only just noting the purple being behind their forms. The answer.

They were the answer?

Who were they?

Terrified, complicated....happy, confused, strange, beautiful above all else. A walking entity of something that had them looking toward the pink Gem on their stomach, noting the salmon shirt had been pushed up somewhat, revealing their midriff. It was Stevens. But Steven wasn't there. Neither was Connie, but the signs of her were very much still there. 

Had they any idea what just happened to them both? Could they comprehend it beyond all else? This impossible made possible and the unthinkable became logic now. Intended. No. Not really. Welcomed? Perhaps, if they could begin to grasp this very concept of....fusing? Is that what they should call it?

It was, to their surprise, actually amazing. The mental pathways Steven provided did note they had seen fusion before with Quartz Warriors and the Elite Guard but not often. To be able to combine strength with strength had them enamored with their form. But...

They felt together, but alone.

Connie wanted more of this, but preferred to have Steven with her but at the same time, he was still holding her hand, keeping up the form of this incredible person they made together. It was funny to think about, given what she was told about the general cycle of life and creation as it was. It no longer mattered as they danced and laughed on their own for the rest of the day, wrapping their arms around their body in pure blissful confusion and forgetting about what they supposed to be doing.

But...ended up knowing exactly what they were doing instead.

Contradictory in theory, but amusing in practice.


	12. Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new experience revels in their new existence; only to see the horizon in flames.

**Lesson 12: Be careful with fire.**

A world to them alone, to feel the same sensations, to feel the ground beneath their feet and to breath in the same stale air with the same dirty, mucky taste. Two became one but one and two didn't exist. Something existed in its place. A world once there and back again but seen through different eyes, eyes they their shared with themselves and eyes that weren't their own.

Perhaps contradictions that evolved into possibilities became the order of the day, trying to find familiarity in their surroundings. The world hadn't changed in the blink of an eye. They changed.

It was new...odd...a feeling found not on the menu. The mirror showed this new entity. The mirror showed Steven's gem but they could only superficially recognize themselves. The room still had Steven and Connie's things and it still had the musical devices. It took them a moment to get a hold of this form. Agreeable to maintain was what was on their mind, the call of many voices to make the decision at the click of a finger. Fingers that were longer, thicker, but longer. Thoughts forged in the heat of chaos but warped with the coolness of order, to get a grip of themselves with these new but old hands.

They didn't seem to mind, though they had known that this was a thing that the Gems did. How did they know? Memories that were suddenly there. They did this kind of thing. But with a human? Unheard of. Weird, bizarre. They liked it irregardless, like it was bending in a fourth dimension to their will, comparing it to a stream of different emotions that surrounded their skin, giving them goosebumps as they touched their hips. Hips. Curved hips? They had those now? Well, they could have. No? Yes? It was natural. It was great even with a certain giddiness that overcame them in such an electrical charge like powered up endorphins. Conflicts became minor as agreements took place. Yes? Yes. No? No. The two track mind that became three minus two.

The dilemma came to be when they realized that they had to return back to camp. While the desire to linger as themselves overrode common logic which had been since thrown out the window, they took the chance to discover themselves in the meanwhile. They danced in front of the nearby mirror, to figure out the groove on their own, using the music player for some odd tunes to play. They had rhythm and they had flow, laughing all the while with two different pitches at leveled intervals.

Who were they? They hadn't decided. But they enjoyed it nonetheless, finding exciting things about themselves in the meanwhile. What could they do in this body?

Their peace and serenity had been broke by the split noises outside, loud and repetitive as they turned the music off. Peering through a single opening of a nearby boarded window, they could see the Quartz Warriors....a dozen of them as the Orange Gem spoke to them while they marched into place. Oh no. They themselves must have heard the music playing. They gulped. Imagery, words...titles were contributed from within, bringing them up to give a clear picture. Captain Jasper...leader of the Quartz Warriors. Information leaked into the mind with the sense of the familiarity of it all. Why now? No. Focus. They had to get out of there. Now.

Grabbing their things, given the immense load they to carry with both Steven's and Connie's bags, they couldn't risk leaving any trace behind, lest Jasper would track them down. Going into the hallway, they made note to be extra careful, although footsteps were heard from the right hand said. They had to get back to the Temple immediately but it didn't help that with the load they had to carry made a few alarming jingles. Sweat rolled down their face in anxiousness and thrust upon them were dangling ideas; while the atmosphere faded into an orange hue in that brief moment. They kept going until they had gone to the large pair of doors. 

The open area was what it was, but the wind had picked up that had their long hair in their face. They pulled up Connie's blue bandanna over their and pulled on Steven's goggles...this always predated a dust storm on the horizon, but the orange hue remained in place. Looking up, the sky itself had turned brown. More footsteps echoed behind them, giving them immediate urgency to keep going no matter what.

Maneuvering the school took a large amount of patience without alerting the split up Warriors, going behind buildings and taking deep breaths in order to ensure they paced themselves. It made them think, however. The Warriors must have seen or heard them at some point, or they recognized Steven.

They definitely recognized Steven. It was the closest idea they had scooped up to examine. What did he do? It wasn't certain, but they didn't have any time to discuss the cracks of a trickling mind, spilling out loads of unwanted experiences out into the open for them to clean up. But somehow that just made it all the worse to deal with, with the sparks that singed their horizons. Turning good to bad to worse with every page torn and burnt from the record, but leaving burns on the skin. The driest of the dry and the hottest of the hot. This made little sense to begin with.

Thought trails surrounded them, as some of the nearby buildings started to burn, with flames suddenly bursting and breaking out windows, turning buildings charcoal black which sent them into a panic. Not this again? This _again_? What is this? Where is this? Captain Jasper? Who is she? What is she? The Warriors were getting closer, as they raised a hand to their chest, being unable to calm down their increasing heartbeat. Part of them wanted to fight, the other half wanted to run. Fire. The colours of red, orange and yellow. Jasper. Her voice, her shouts that emboldened the other warriors with her war cry. To suss out the one they knew had escaped the Compound. He was still here. They had to protect Steven. Smoke rose and twirled up into the sky like burning ghosts. Screams that entered their mind from a desired-to-be-forgotten event. Why were they seeing this? Jasper. Her skin, her dryness, her combustion that sent their world ablaze. A dozen warriors. A few dozen warriors. Bulky. Red, Purple, Orange, Yellow, black; Colors of the scorched earth.

Running out of the school grounds, they turned around and were left gasping for air as they could see the fire swallow the school whole. A mind then said to themselves: 'screw worrying about noise, they needed to leave now'. And they ran. The world got darker, harsher...whispers that echoed in the wind, whispers that turned into screaming with the burning ghosts skulking behind them, unable to escape their screeching pleas for help that were more to drag them down. A little further out, names were called out repeatedly. Two names. 

Steven. Rose.

Rose? Who was Rose? Rose was her. Rose was him.

Who was Steven? Who were they?

Going out of town were taller, blacker trees that had been caught in a blaze too. It got too hot for them to handle, continuing forth until they reached the sanctum of the temple, gasping and crying with a throat fell like it was torn and stripped of their voice box.

Once back into the temple, everything suddenly became a blur, tripping over and sending their minds to the light. The world became faded once more.

* * *

Connie came to first, getting up and seeing the blue stone of the temple gave her a slice of relief as she coughed to relieve her throat. She then saw Steven on all fours, sobbing and violently shaking and shivering and desperate for air with chokes and grunts in between jaded breaths. Connie immediately went to his aid and had him sitting upright. She took control of the situation to the best of her ability, not caring about what had previously occurred until Steven was back on solid ground. He was drenched in sweat as Connie dumped everything around them and sat next to Steven, putting her arm around his back and bringing him in close. She could see the horror in his eyes as he tried so hard to get his breath back.

It took them a moment to do so, while Connie used her spare hand to grab his and held the quivering one tight. She could feel the anxious tension from his touch alone. She allowed herself to breath deep in order for him to sync his with it. It was working, with his eyes occasionally dipping between the floor and to Connie's determined expression to get him to calm down.

How could this happen? Connie already knew Steven was dealing some kind of trauma. He needed help. What they saw...what they saw as that shared entity was not normal. He was a big guy that could take down monsters in a pinch but Connie imagined that what ever happened to him...at this Compound as she'd come to discover to be called, must have been where he'd come from. This Jasper...this Rose. None of it brought logic to Connie.

Steven swallowed, though his breathing was beginning to go back to normal, though he was still dripping in perspiration like crazy and with the broken sobs in between. Connie got him his canteen and allowed him to drink it down, as he raised it up to get every drop. He must have been more thirsty, as Connie watched his Adams apple bob with every glug. He put the canteen down next to him, puffing briefly before heaving one huge sigh to end it all. 

The look he gave her broke her heart. She saw his pain, first hand. His glistening, watery eyes could barely keep contact with hers but Connie saw how he was pleading from that look alone. If Connie could get rid of the pain she would...she wished she could hug it away...but first she needed to understand exactly what she saw, so she could help heal him like he healed her.

It had to be done. Connie had to get him to the Temple of Obsidian. What ever he suffered through and what ever that place was, needed him there. Connie rummaged through her own theories to think that, what ever sacrifices he'd made were for the sole purpose to get to what she could assume to be some kind of sacred place. Her books only told so much, only that it was considered holy by her parents. They were so close too. So that night they made the decision that they would get to the Temple of Obsidian the very next morning.

Connie shuffled around a bit, twisting to have a hand hold his cheek. Steven sniffed, putting his own hand on hers while he leaned in, closing his eyes and absorbing the feeling her dry gentle hand. Connie didn't care that he was a bit wet from his sweat and tears. She rubbed her thumb brazenly against his stubble, feeling his warmth flow through her fingers and palm. Pending strikes aimed at her chest, searing it with such an intensity that she tried so hard to ignore. She leaned in further give him a peck on the lips, to let him know she was ready to do what ever it took to comfort him. Connie did not care if she had to do this a million times, she was not ready to let him fall into despair and if it required her to be there when Steven needed her to be, then so be it. It was already a broken, harsh and dead world and the life before her had made her feel so much that she didn't know what to do without it and without him.

Steven licked his lips as they parted, returning his sight to Connie's own. Such power behind such sorrow and such sorrow to be had when the power behind it was excruciating. Connie felt that through their entity, a rawness, a vision of the world of colour at its worst. Connie had to admit the vivid world as the entity, borrowing what he saw in such a fantastical way. His lips quivered, struggling to get something out of his mouth...only but the squeakiest of noises...

"'M sorry."

He didn't have to apologize for anything. Perhaps he was worried that for what she saw horrified her. No. Well, yes but it wasn't intentional. Steven obviously had still some baggage to work through that he couldn't quite shake off. Which to where his mission became that much more important to complete. But then something he said next surprised her.

"Are....you okay?"

Connie's eyes widened. He was...asking about her? She nodded in response, which prompted him to smile automatically, like a flipped switch. He was still worried about her. Maybe, that he didn't want her to see any of that. Their minds conjoined told her what had transpired and in actuality, it felt good. Great. Amazing. But seeing that brought sadness and fear worse than what any monster could inflict. She was fine, personally. A lot of questions needed to be answered but Connie trusted he would let know when he was ready. When ever that would be, it wouldn't be relevant unless it became too much to keep it in...like who Rose was.

The two ate then prepared themselves for bed; putting their glowing bracelets on their wrists to bloom the pleasantness of non-hostile colour. but Connie's mind was fixated on wondering, eternally on this...fusion they made together. She could look at Steven, seeing herself in his big, black eyes of marble. That was what the entity was. A reflection of the other; a creation of trust and benevolence of their light; their colour. Connie wasn't even aware that she could create it with him. It was definitely like fire had forged the steel to invent this formation, this balance of them and their own souls. While snug in the sleeping bag together, the two faced one another while laying on their sides. Steven ran a finger against her cheek, to her chin, to pull in her face as he kissed her gently.

There was something odd about his constant staring. Not unpleasant, but something different. If Connie ever saw real stars, she was definitely looking at one of them right now, taking in the blues and pinks that surrounded them, creating sparkles in his eyes. He wasn't happy, sad, angry. Neutral at best but his mind had to racing over the collective of seeing through her eyes. Connie wondered how Steven felt, though when they were fused it was like she could feel what he felt, with the same energies and the same melodies and harmonies that joined them together like that. 

* * *

Steven saw himself in her. He could see his reflection in her fiery brown eyes and felt her hands in his. More so than physical. Spiritual, incredible. The way they moved together. He'd never once thought he'd get the chance to try fusion, let alone with a full human like Connie.

He was ashamed with his display, demonstrating how naked he'd felt in her seeing the overwhelming strength of his fears. He never wanted Connie to see that and he instantly felt horrible over it; thinking he'd somehow hurt her in the process, to his shame. The fusion itself was absolutely amazing in retrospect and he would love to do it again, but he felt useless as it was apparent that containing his emotions while fused became an issue. Seeing Jasper, seeing the Quartz Warriors...he never should have played that stupid music device. He just wanted to have fun with Connie and to make Connie feel good but instead he ended up dumping all of his problems on her. She didn't deserve this. She deserved better.

But she stuck by him as he winded down from how absolute distraught he'd become, forcing them to defuse. It was such a pleasant feeling too, the intertwining, the rhythm, the laughter, the joy and stuff that's just impossible to describe when you literally this...magical experience with someone you care deeply about. Intensities tempered with such...unspoken conversations like their minds continued to dance with one another long after they'd fused; ruined by a whimsical wildfire that eventually went out of control and there was nothing Steven could about it.

Laying here, with Connie, however, just...taking in everything of her as this beautiful sunlight. If he ever saw then sun, then he was looking at it right now. Embers flickered in his stomach, looking at her stoic, still and beautiful face, radiating with a beat that called more to attention, but instead, it was if the two were entranced by the lights of each others eyes, embroiled in some, indescribable desire to fuse again. However, Steven preferred to do it right and in order to do that he needed to reel in control of his own emotions, instead of spilling absolutely everything of his life in front of Connie, worried she'd see something she'd never want to see.

Steven raised his hand, with Connie doing the same with hers, with hands and fingers straight up and pointed, with their bracelets dangling about. Though, neither knew what the other was intending and frankly, why they doing it wasn't in their heads. They pushed their hands together and grasped gently. They sensed each others heartbeats increasing at the touch, pressing for the need to combine their flames.

It wasn't a dance, it wasn't about them making love. It was a unique, powerful, invigorating passage to leave the world for the brief moment and return, reborn but not forgotten. Remembered. Recalled. Blended...they saw themselves more so in their eyes, but their vision became warped, a burn but a controlled burn that cut through the middle of their souls that would cook them together. Steven's gem lit up, pulsing several times as Steven found his head, and Connie's heads leaning in, pushing their foreheads against one another, hearing the others song in their minds reaching out to each other.

The first time was so sudden, but now that they paced themselves, they took in this new, rich dimension that could break an ordinary mind entirely. It would break _their_ minds _and_ put the pieces back together like a puzzle of pink and blue. There was no pain, but a faint tickle as they reemerged again as their revolutionary being, with the light in Steven's gem fading away shortly after. Together, again. Alone...._again._..the conversation continued, irregardless.

They laid on their back briefly, with their arms spread out above them...wearing Steven's yellow shorts and Connie's blue singlet on top of her bra. The blue stone roof had white lined patterns not too dissimilar to the ones at the pool temple. Raising their left hand to splay in the air, they examined the interlocked bracelets on their wrists. Soft, simple, blurred, glowing colour. That's what it was. Fueled by the heated desires of their hearts, to combine the strengths of both and the generous beauty of their wandering spirits. The same amount of giddiness from before returning, wrestling with fun thoughts to figure out what they should do next.

A brilliant idea was put forth as they got out of the sleeping bad and immediately went through Steven's things to get out the chalk, then running towards a nearby wall as they wrote something on it.

They stood back after scribbling the idea of what to call this...entity, this fusion, this merger of two different yet similar creatures. They grinned at their new name, feeling prouder than ever.

Stevonnie.

Perfect.


	13. Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A night spent on their own, dowsed in surreal sensations and mixed memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delays! More dialogue in this chapter oddly enough.

**Lesson 13: Sometimes, you gotta know when to bail.**

Stevonnie. What a wonderful name. The safety of the temple allowed them a small reprieve and safety from prying eyes as they got used to themselves. The haunting thoughts of before returned however, but they were determined to reel those feelings in. They'd laid down back into the sleeping bag and continued to look up. The slight call of the silence rung in their ears, allowing the flow of ideas to speak to them on an unconscious level, as they ran their hand over their body, starting with their chest, then down to their stomach with twitchy fingers, shivering from the slight tickle. This skin that was theirs and theirs alone. Together. Darker than Steven, lighter than Connie. The Gem itself hadn't changed but had its unique feel while the tips of their middle and index fingers found themselves running circle the hard, cool surface and the edges of the facets. Curiosities. Fascinations. A warmth in bloom for the small patches of nerves on their skin to call their own.

A mountain to climb, with all the pressure to keep on rising up to the top. Where they had been trying to traverse through the known fog. This mountain, made of crystal and glimmering power. Their fingers went upwards, gently putting pressure and feeling their rib cage. It was amazing that two people could fit together like this, with the magic combining cells and structure to form an entirely new being. It was telling when feeling themselves made their breath more bated with subtle gasps and sudden sharp rises and falls with their chest.

New. Exciting. Exhilarating. Different. Words that came to mind with the voices in their head telling them that it felt good. It was almost the first time Steven and Connie touched each other in that way. Just as mesmerizing; but more potent. Though they wanted to dip down further, to discover the voids of the unknown to find out on what it was like in this strange merger, other thoughts told them not to, pulling them away with a gentle tug. Maybe not tonight, in this sense. A disturbance turned off all desires like a switch. They weren't annoyed by the prospect, but cautious all the while and used the time to fall asleep and snuggle up with the plushies in tow.

The numbers of Seven One and Nine began to filter into the shadows, where consciousness no longer existed. Talking of crystals and glimmers...tall towers of white that could only be seen on the horizon. Seven. One. Nine. Where colours were both there in their brightness and where they were faded. Seven One Nine. Standing in line at the local canteen behind everyone else, awaiting for their slops of food in a scratched bowl of brass. Seven One Nine. Hanging around with the cool kids on the block, complaining on their parents strictness. Seven One Nine. Fading away into obscurity was the norm on those who couldn't fight for themselves. Seven One Nine. Too many Warriors in one place had people scared and left guessing as to who's house they were raiding.

* * *

Their eyes opened in the matter of what couldn't been a single moment after they'd closed. With a gasp, they could see the dark, yellow roof above them with walls of torn white, as they had previously been used to the blue stone. Stevonnie swallowed as they laid on their back with their hands on their stomach, but moved their head to left to see the tiny room they found themselves in. A pecan wood set of drawers with a brown clock in the shape of a cats head sat at the top with a bent black desk lamp that swallowed the room in its subtle glow and had an eery silence that followed. The floor was black too, save for a warn round white and green rug in the middle. No windows either. 

Stevonnie got up, sliding off the bed and looked into the nearby mirror embedded above the drawers to see their face and their hair tied up. They then headed out the door on the other side of the room, examining what was a dining room. A rectangular white table, with a blue metal chair on the left, a wooden chair on the other side with pink cushions and a yellow plastic chair to the right. The roof held a flickering fluorescent light that hummed loudly. The room beyond that was the kitchen that was separated by a wall and the arch way to the left. On the right wall was another door that lead into another bedroom.

Similar to their room, this one held a singular bed with half its stained white blanket falling off. The far back wall had a huge corkboard against it with pinks and seven pieces of string and mass amounts of diagrams and pictures on folded and torn pieces of paper. The only one that stood out to Stevonnie was the one photo on the top right hand corner. Two photos actually. The top picture had a middle aged man, balding but had long brown hair with a matching beard, alongside a beautiful woman with voluminous pink ringlets. Both of them were smiling, as Stevonnie ran their fingers gently across it, wistful. The picture underneath had the man again, a little older but with Stevonnie besides them. A precious pic from precious, more innocent times.

Everything about this so far seemed both new and old to Stevonnie. The other images meant nothing to them, but they felt like they should and shouldn't be here. It wasn't long until they heard a door slam and the scampering off feet that came from the kitchen first. Stevonnie quickly hid behind the door frame and popped out their head slight to see the man himself, clad in a faded pink body suit that had white rings around the collar, the ends of the sleeves and legs, as well as a black lined barcode underneath unusual white text reading PD-GU-648. He had a big black bag and dumped it onto the dining table, then turned his head to see Stevonnie in the door way, whom froze and went wide eyed. One that would guide them.

Dad.

He smiled and waved his hand to get them to come over, wanting to show them what he found. Stevonnie wasn't entirely sure, but they obliged, tiptoeing their way towards the other side of the table, as their dad pulled out more paper, albeit scrunched up slightly. He was a bit jittery, nervous and sweaty and was left with skittish fingers, pulling out sheet after sheet and trying to find the one paper that they were after. Dad pulled them close, put his arm around their waist and bringing them in, then using their finger to repeatedly tap a single picture. a feminine statue of stone with multiple arms.

The Temple of Obsidian.

Not before long the front door opened up again once more, with Dad pulling Stevonnie into the front kitchen as he stood up straight with his arms and hands right by his sides. Stevonnie was puzzled but not surprised, seeing Captain Jasper with two of her Quartz lackeys, the turquoise warrior Ocean Jasper and the earthly shades of brown warrior Biggs Jasper. They all had telling grins on their faces. It was normal to have warriors barge in unannounced, which always had the sense of paranoia lurking around every corner. Dad was beside himself, worried they'd want to search the house for any contraband like they normally did.

This was time was different, however, as Captain Jasper took hold of Stevonnie's hand and put a red glowing bracelet on their left wrist, which sent their dad into a panic, slapping his hands against his cheeks in despair and begging them not to take their child. Captain Jasper ended up punching him in the face, which had Stevonnie scowling with the fury of a Warrior themself, attempting to punch the Captain but was held back by Biggs. Jasper chuckled and waggled her finger, tsking all the while in the warning over not to retaliate. Stevonnie looked at their dad in concern as he got back up, wiping off the blood that ran down from his nose. He gave Stevonnie a thumbs up to let them know he was okay, even if he wasn't. Stevonnie then smiled, assuring their dad that they would be okay.

* * *

Going on into the street and into the dry atmosphere of the outdoors, Stevonnie saw the long stretched of cracked road before them, that divided a series of similar designed white houses that joined up. More humans were seen in their tattered pink body suits, with wide eyes and bags underneath them and the odd one here and there sweeping the streets, gasping as Stevonnie followed the Quartz Warriors with their head held up high. The sky itself was still cloudy with a tinged brown with the howling of the northerly winds still prevalent. This was the daily life for them, with the humans ensuring that they were out of the way while the Warriors were around.

In truth, Stevonnie had gotten used to it. Their Dad didn't like the prospect of them disappearing with the worry that they'd never return from what ever was in store. It was generally the same reason each time, approaching the huge coliseum at the end of the beaten track, that covered half of the ginormous series of white, spiky towers on the horizon.

The warriors took Stevonnie down a dark tunnel, with the patters and clanks of their feet putting on a steady rhythm in the echoes, allowing certain thoughts to be eluded. Eventually they were in a huge room with at least nine other humans in pink body suits and glowing red bracelets on their hands. Stevonnie was shoved behind a young dark skinned girl with her brown, curly hair tied up high, on her knees and crying. Ocean Jasper pulled out a whip from their gem and whipped at her to stand up. The Quartz Warriors hated it when people cried.

Stevonnie comforted the girl, whom they knew to be as PD-KP-795. 795 was one of the fastest, going from the child hood they'd spent together playing tag. This had to be her first event and she was absolutely terrified, more so than the souls before them, hunched over and while they didn't want to accept their oncoming fate, some of them did. You could tell the difference between the brave, the bold, the stupid and the bargainers by their stance, their body language and their facial expressions....and as well as how much they would sob. 

They'd gotten used to the idea now as they approached Captain Jasper with their hand on their chest, requesting that they go out first. Jasper laughed with pride, slapping her hand on Stevonnie's shoulder. This was nothing new. Stevonnie was always the one to volunteer first and Jasper had no qualms in letting them do what they had to, when it was always Stevonnie that came out on top, being their prized Gladiator. Jasper nudged her head towards the entrance to the arena, telling them to hurry up and go. Stevonnie nodded, walking off as they heard Jasper berating the others for not having the same enthusiasm as they did.

The selection itself was randomized each time, drawing in the youth to a series of deadly tasks; all for the entertainment for the Empire. A bright light laid at the end to hallway, leading into a huge dirt encrusted round arena so empowering that Stevonnie could taste the earth on their tongue. Above the high brick walls were rows of benches filled to the brim with colourful gems of all shapes and sizes, cheering and roaring all the while. Stevonnie heard their name being chanted, being a fan favourite in the scheme of things. 

It suddenly went silent as all the gems sat down. Above the bleachers to the left and to the right were large orange thrones made of stone. Out from the left side came a giant, tall blue robed figure with a huge gem on her chest and silver circlet around her forehead. Queen Blue Diamond. She sat down without saying as so much as a word too, holding her hands up and commanding an aura of respect. To the right out came a smaller, pink puffy haired figure with rosewood colour robes and a golden circlet, though her gem was completely covered by her layered clothes. Queen Pink Diamond. Though she looked more sinister with her thicker, messier eyeliner and appearing more withdrawn, disheveled and looking down at Stevonnie with her vivid magenta eyes that had them feel her power flow. Not as much as Queen Blue's but it was there.

Stevonnie heard the murmurs from the others. Pink Diamond was reclusive as to not even bother speaking or dealing with her humans in the Pink Compound, but others state even Queen Blue and Queen Yellow would come to inspect their Compounds from time to time and ensuring they were kept up in tip top condition. Some day, some how, Stevonnie wanted nothing more than to march up to Queen Pink, press their index finger against her chest and demand she improve the conditions of their homes. For now, all was to make sure humans were to remain as powerless as possible, using the Quartz Warriors to damper and suppress any efforts to rebel.

Queen Blue raised her hand, to allow the events to commence. Stevonnie noticed that there was a lack of equipment or lack of any kind of course to take. On the other side was a tall, skinny boy clad in a blue body suit with a shield and a sword, cowering and shivering, wearing a blue glowing bracelet too. Jasper came up from behind and handed Stevonnie a rusted shield and a blunt sword, whacking them back on the bag with their hand for good luck. Stevonnie swallowed. No wonder the crowd were rowdier than normal.

It was a Death Match.

Stevonnie never had to do a death match but it was one of the popular events staged. Usually it was an obstacle course of some sort, testing the skills between the humans of the Four Compounds. Death Matches weren't common but Stevonnie hadn't been to one, nor did they want to. The thought of.._.killing_ someone would be devastating. Stevonnie hoped they wouldn't throw in extras for fun like they did; all for the sake of adding drama and suspense to the fold.They swallowed, tightening their grip on the hilt of their blade as they slowly made their way towards the center of the arena.

They took a better look at their opponent. He looked absolutely terrified and hesitant to fight them. Whether or not they were more scared about the prospect of dying more so than Stevonnie's tall form was irrelevant. Courage wasn't the order of the day. It was about who's wills and who's desires were stronger. Sure, those from the Pink Compound edged on the scope of malnutrition but the hunger was supposed to be encouraging according to Captain Jasper. The promise of a dozen apples waited for them at the end of the trials each time, to savior their juicy, sweet taste.

The two bowed before one another, although to say who was oozing more sweat was probably better to guess with than the inevitability that one of them was going to die. Fight, or perish, basically.

"BEGIN!" Queen Blue announced with a boom in her shout, throwing her hand down.

The cries from the crowd of overexcited gems filled their ears, though Stevonnie heard more of their heartbeat than anything else, rapidly pacing through the motions and unsure of what they should do in this situation. Jasper stood far behind them, throwing their fist up and cheering on their best combatant. Stevonnie read their name tag. BD-LB-295. Stevonnie looked down to see that they too were wearing the pink suit.

Their text read PD-SU-719. Seven One Nine.

The two simply ran circles, shaken with the occasional pop of movement that had the other retaliate with a small jump in surprise but neither of them attacked outright. Stevonnie didn't want to do this. Not at all. They let 295 strike first as he swung his blade which was met with the sparking clang of Stevonnie's rusted shield. Stevonnie refused to fight back as 295 continued to swipe, grunting and panting all the while. Stevonnie's thoughts were all over the place but their instinct was to continue to defend themselves. But to what end?

They wanted until 295 had an opening then ended up kicking him in the stomach which sent him flying across the arena, digging up the dirt in the arena and leaving a deep trench in his wake. Stevonnie was surprised at their strength. They didn't intend to go that far. But that just ended up making the crowd roar all the louder, impressed with Stevonnie's show of force. 295 groggily got up and was left reaching for their weapons before they turned around to try and recompose themselves. 

295 didn't let up however, with Stevonnie just standing there, taking blow after blow until 295 exhausted himself. It was then Queen Pink raised her hand and made an announcement.

"Another!" She called out, her voice trilling with a pompous tone.

It wasn't long until Ocean Jasper pulled out another combatant from their end. Stevonnie gasped. 795. The Girl who knew how to run.

This made matters a million times worse as 295 decided to ignore Stevonnie and aimed straight towards her, but she'd forgotten how to move, petrified at the sight of an aggressive human from Queen Blue's Compound. Stevonnie was left trying to defend her at all costs. 295 kept at it and kept at it. Until Stevonnie threw down their weapons, rolling around 295 and picking them up by the waist and throwing him as hard as they could to the other side, to get him away from her. 795 stopped crying as she fell to her knees, unable to fathom as to what was going on around her.

Stevonnie grew furious as they sprinted toward 295 who'd gotten back up. Queen Blue raised her hand, allowing for a series of her gems to intervene. A pair of Aquamarines that fluttered down towards 295 and tending to his wounds briefly, while a large cyan barrier shot up from below that prevented Stevonnie from getting any closer, forcing them to skid to a halt. They weren't surprised by this at all.

Once 295 was patched up, the barrier fell as the the Aquamarines fled from the scene. He got up and clanked his sword and shield together as his eyes became bloodshot. Queen Blue must have authorized this type of aggression, as the Queens normally give them some kind of boost. 295 charged forward as Stevonnie back flipped to their weapons and continued to defend themselves, trying to get 295 to steer clear of 795. But he was relentless, faster, quicker than he was before. Stevonnie saw the foam dripping out of his mouth. He'd gone absolutely feral, instilling fear for his livelihood.

There were times where 295 had Stevonnie up against the wall, forcing them to jump and run across it, much to the crowds enthused responses and whirled their way across the arena, pulling 295 around it, though tried to keep going towards 795 much to Stevonnie's dismay. 295 got smarter, however, learning Stevonnie's movements bit by bit, telling when he ended up jumping on their shield and across to dig their sword into 795, Stevonnie pulled into a panic and twisted themselves, watching as time went slow around them and ended up throwing their sword upwards which then dug deep into 295s back and forcing them to drop instantly, letting go of his weapons and letting them fall to the ground with both and his body landing with a loud thump, sending a sense of dread.

The area was no more still and quiet than it was now, only for the series of hushed whispers from the crowd. Stevonnie quickly ran up to 295 with great haste and instantly pulled out the sword, then rolled him around as he looked up at Stevonnie while they carried his head in their lap. Blood seeped out from behind as well as trickles it coming out of his mouth as he cough. Stevonnie breathed heavily, not knowing what to do in this situation that had shattered their own heart. He raised his shaky hand and pressed it against Stevonnie's chest, who then did the same with their spare hand, putting on a minor smile and pressed their hand against his chest, before his head turned to the side instantly while his eyes closed. His hand dropped down slowly, as Stevonnie grabbed it, noting the blue glowing bracelet. They began to cry, taking the bracelet as a reminder of this travesty, this cruelty...this pure nightmare. Their tears fell and fell hard on to his cheek. No they didn't want this...they couldn't. The crowd didn't know better, preferring to cheer on the Champion of the Arena. Queen Pink grinned devilishly, looking on a despondent and obviously displeased Queen Blue.

A shift in the wind came through, as 295's body started to glow. Stevonnie's eyes widened his body glistening all the while, his skin turning a shade of pink and his hair becoming quite fluffy. 295 groaned in pain, as he moved about after he opened up his eyes. He took one look at Stevonnie and screamed, scurrying backwards to figure out what just happened. The chorus of gasps echoed around them as Queen Blue stood to attention, pointing her giant finger at the heretical display below. Stevonnie stood up, looking at the blood on their hands; they suspected that this was their half-gem power at play and none else but a select few knew the truth. Their heart began to beat quicker, with the world around them turning redder by the moment, streams of black and white flower petals rose all around them into a symmetrical pattern. The same sentences flowed through their ears constantly. From Queen Blue, from Captain Jasper: What is the meaning of this human? What did you do Seven One Nine? Seven One Nine? Answer me!

Queen Pink had disappeared from her throne in that instant. 295 had since tried to attack Stevonnie once more with his sword in the whirlwind of confusion, only for them to raise their arm and summon their shield to defend themselves, to where 295's sword hit with such ferocity, but ended up sending out a sound wave that pulsed, sending 295 flying once more. Oh no...that was an accident.

Stevonnie turned to see the incredulous look that Captain Jasper gave, unable to believe her eyes either. It was then 795 appeared before Stevonnie, taking their hand and running through the exits to get them the hell out of there.

* * *

It made no logical sense, but...they hadn't planned on revealing it all this way, let alone in front of two of the Diamond Queens. As 795 ran them, their eyes were drawn to the linked red and blue glowing bracelets. Oh geez. What was going on? In the swirl of the chaos, 795 got them out of the coliseum before any of the Guards or Warriors could react. Going down the main street, 795 took Stevonnie home and urged them to leave straight away.

Then...Stevonnie's vision faded into grey scale with an eerie chime that reverberated in the background, followed by whispers of Queen Blue, Queen Pink and Jasper, while dust specks slowly floated around them. Dad, 295, 795, Numbers...letters.

PD-JP-793

PD-RF-703

Numbers, letters...no real names. Names they should recall but they don't.

PD-SC-337

PD-MG-124

Numbers, letters, no real names....no faces to names either. But they were there...just needing the trigger.

But these were people they cared about. Memories that mattered. Memories that brought on more of the good times than the bad. Because in this place, you had to treasure every decent moment you got, to drown out the days where the Quartz Warriors would just beat you up for fun, to every person who went missing and no one did anything about it. The only thing they had in this life, was themselves.

It wasn't until they heard the shrilling screams that their vision returned to them standing in the middle of the main plaza in the middle of the Compound with decorated but cracked paths of brick and brown grass, with nearby trees with fire that you could mistake for leaves, buildings left in blazes and their pink suit torn in several places, with cuts on their cheeks and their hair all messed up. Despite the heat, a huge chill ran down their spine. They looked around. Lots of Quartz Warriors, humans...spears into backs, the calls for capturing Seven One Nine. Calls to protect Seven One Nine. Their dads echoes against the symphony of ruin in the concert hall made of crimson, black and white. Ashes rose from the ground in spirals of the gusts, creating the burning ghosts meant for them to stay and go in the most insidious of paradoxes, playing a tug of war with their mind. Still, their dad made the call above all else, like an announcer from the clouds meant to instill the one cry that sent the gears in their minds turning again. Seven One Nine.

"RUN STEVEN!"

Steven was unable to move, locked into place with an overwhelming sense of intense guilt and shame as fires of anxiety burned his throat. Though he was still with his shield and a huge backpack and black jacket. He didn't want to run. Kiki returned, continuing to pull on his hand as they went towards the only exit out of this place. The giant, steel gates with the giant letters PC-4 emblazoned with white spray paint. Dozens of warriors were at the helm, preparing to ambush them. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to leave everyone behind. Everyone was going to die and it was all his fault. Why did he volunteer ahead of everyone else? Why did he have to have this stupid gift?

Why was he made?

Seven One Nine. That's all he was to them. The Boy Who Could...

More humans intervened, using themselves to guard Kiki and Steven while they tried to get the gates to open. PD-RF-703, the one with the yellow hair and glasses, immediately went to access the gates controls on the side, while Kiki pulled him aside, much to Stevens dismay. No. He couldn't. He shouldn't. Kiki gave him a kiss on the cheek, giving him a warm, dry smile. She had faith in this stupid mission of theirs. A mission to save them all. But...he had no idea how to do it or if he could pull it off. He cried heavily, as Kiki pulled him into a tight hug. He could do this.

The gates creaked open slightly as Kiki pushed him out, much to his surprise. She continued to smile, even if the gates started to close, even as her eyes widened to the spear that was sent straight through her chest, with the disbelief, the heartache, the pain, the agony that shot right through all of his nerves, freezing him into place as his hand reached out to her to his absolute failure.

* * *

The world faded again into the void as the gates closed to a grinding halt. No noise. No sound. No wind. Speckles of dust continued to float about, aimlessly and dryly, with unkind noises that had Steven screaming at himself for not being able to move, sitting there, eyes vacant to the world. Connie stood behind him. Wanting to reach to him but couldn't. Her legs weren't moving. Stevonnie stood between them, kneeling down on one knee with arms draped to their sides, with their wrist still holding the blue and red bracelets. 

This place was dry of any tears, still and calm with no weather or light or colour to guide them, nor any song or sense. Connie raised a hand, Stevonnie raised a hand. Steven wrapped his arms around himself, Stevonnie wrapped their arms around their body. Connie could feel his anger, his torment, his fear through Stevonnie alone, their face twisting between sad and furious. 

Connie could see the back of Stevonnie's neck more clearly. Seven One Nine was easier to see under the triangular marking on the dip of their neck. Here was better than with the onset of flames that had torn down the place he once called home. All due to confusion, all due to a silly game the Gems loved to play with the humans. It had Connie understand his anger, understand why he wanted to do this. Though the people he protected, the people he wanted to protect, he couldn't. Connie squeezed her shirt as did Stevonnie, reeling in the heart-wrenching sadness that Steven gave off it. It would topple a lesser person, but not Steven. Not Stevonnie. Not Connie. The sadness could halt Steven but he could get up again if he really tried. And he did.

He'd tried to get up, clenching his fist as it shook violently. Stevonnie mimicked him. Eventually, despite the heaviest of recollections, he stood tall. Connie ran past Stevonnie and threw her arms around Steven and hugged him from behind, resting her head on his back and holding him tight and running her fingers over his gem in gentle fashion, much to his surprise. She wasn't sure what she could do, she wasn't sure what she should do. Nothing could take back what he'd gone through. None of it was his fault. Absolutely none of it. Steven moved around to hug Connie properly, wanting to apologize for what she just saw as he rested his chin on her head. She who was free. She who was Markless. She who was numberless.

"It's okay." Said Stevonnie, standing there with a smile, circling their hands and fingers above their gem. They who were together, simply marvelous. What a wonderful frame.

Steven still held the shame, however...being unable to act properly when it mattered. But Connie was here, that shimmering, glimmering beacon of colourful, self-made light here, with him and here now. The only part he could bail on was the idea of keeping secrets from her. He had the made the choice on this journey to learn and grow...so that when he was ready, he could go back. Not as Seven One Nine.

But as their own, surrounded in colours of their own making.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda Hunger Games-ish I know.  
For if it matters, the ones show in this sequence are:  
PD-GU-648 = Greg  
PD-KP-795 = Kiki  
BD-LB-295 = Lars  
PD-SU-719 - Steven  
PD-RF-703 - Ronaldo  
Only naming the relevent ones. You can figure out the rest.


	14. Snakes and Ladders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie and Steven are closer to their destination, finding progress.

**Lesson 14: You gotta deal with the cards handed to you on occasion, head on.**

A die rolled in front of them. The top said one.

It was darkness at first, with hands left reaching out to each other as they slipped away, then the light that was bright and blurry, before it faded into dull colour once more. Both of them woke up, unfused and stuck in the sleeping bag together. Connie's eyes opened to see the absolutely traumatized expression on Steven's face. His tears returned, dripping down as they recognized the blue stone of their temporary abode; the familiarity given back to them. Comfort to them and yet, reminders of what he had to continue to fight for in the long term. She kissed his quivering lips with a light peck at first, then wrapped her arms around his neck. He returned the gesture, though desperate for her touch, wanting more of her as the next few kisses became messy, before Steven broke completely, unable to continue as he sobbed. Connie rubbed her forehead against his instead and tried to get him to synchronize his breathing with hers.

He calmed down after a few tries, his ears keen on hearing her subtle tones underneath every noise she made. Steven felt that Connie would be scared, or ashamed or disappointed. He should known better than her to have made numerous attempts to make him feel better. Seeing life slip away as opposed to life already gone is a huge difference, dividing by the seeing the very life of a spirit, a being ripped apart at the seams. It was hard to accept and harder to get over that someone was gone. He wondered, how the world of before even dealt with such horror. The thoughts played games with his head.

Steven hated this. He hated falling apart and he hated his leaky eyes and he hated himself for taking one step forward and two steps back. He looked at Connie, seeing her big, chocolate spheres filled with determination and care. She hadn't given up on him yet...so he shouldn't give up either. Some days the fire would be out, some days the fire would return in full force, burning every single nerve in his body. The eyes in front of him saw what he had tried to shut away for years. Connie didn't run away, nor did she cry but the only action she called upon, was to bring up her hand from before, staring at the bracelets; their light and being reminded of the sins he'd committed, but also of the battles they'd won with her tenacity. He wanted to move his piece in the right direction but...

He had to remember she had to try and find her parents too. So deep down, she had to be hurting just as much but she was bold, brave with enough to share. It had him putting the puzzles together in his head to get a hold so he could be there for her too. Once they'd found the Temple of Obsidian to get some answers, then they would go on the hunt. He had to. He wanted to. For everything Connie had done for him he would do as much as he could in return. In this case; he forced resolve into himself as he dried up completely, lighting up a smile at Connie and assuring that he was okay. 

* * *

A die rolled in front of them. The top said two.

The next day with fresh, rested minds they made the trip to the north. Steven hoped the note was correct. Once out of the forest, they came across more open plains, followed by hills of sand. Annoying to walk in and with sand in your shoes constantly made it uncomfortable. Rudimentary to all those things in mind, would be worth what ever lied ahead. To make what trauma they had gone through, completely worth it.

Connie made sure to hold his hand the entire time, not once letting go unless it was necessary. One could easily get lost in a sandstorm. But the truth was, that Connie could now see the lack of wanting to leave anyone behind, to dread to loss for another. The red bracelet. The blue bracelet. Reminders of torment. Reminders of true fighters. Now beacons and sources of positive colour.

Up were the bandannas and down were the goggles as the storm came in, with the wind extra tormenting, spinning around sand that could cut skin like glass. It was the norm in a place like this, however. Despite the sheer heat, one needed to ensure that they were well protected. There were some storms so thick that it was nearly impossible to see, like a brown fog that surrounded you. You'd be forced to wait it out until the storm subsides that way you'd have a lot more clarity and actually being able to see a few feet in front of you. The map detailed the long stretch but as long as they kept to the north they would be fine. They'd paraded around for the last few hours, streaming through the unforgiving winds and general dryness.

Eventually they could see a tall, skinny tower in the distance. They'd determined the storm would get worse before it could get better. Once there, they noted the little wooden building in front of it and most of the structure itself was made of brick, with a round glass part on top. The door to the entrance was locked, forcing Steven to to break it open with all his strength as he rammed it. He let Connie in first, before he'd shut it all up.

They'd wandered up the spiral stairs to another room with a giant structure in the middle, with a big broken light on top. They put their stuff down, taking the time to explore the place in greater detail. Corkboards were everywhere, scattered with old newspapers with heaps of texts and worn pictures and scribbled out words with red pen. Somewhere was definitely here before they were. The wind howled outside but otherwise the premise itself was quite secure. Around them was shelving, drawers barrels and a single navy couch against the curvatures of the circular wall.

Connie put the map down on the ground and tried to get a grip on how close they were. Her eyes widened. There was a dot on their very location. She pulled Steven down to show him and realized that she was right. There was a temple nearby. They'd gone north as instructed, as excitement began to grow. Though it faded it a bit. This couldn't be it though. Steven jumped up on the nearby wall, hanging off the ledge by his fingers to peer outside. He looked left and right with a squinted, suspicious expression, unable to see anything. His eyes then widened with a realization that had him feeling dumb. Oh yeah, the sandstorm. He slid down the wall, to the floor and sighed in disappointment, desperate to see if the temple was nearby but forgetting the reason why they were in here to begin with. Curse this horrible weather and the inability to see past the aforementioned brown fog.

Steven got up and looked at the note again with a squinted glance. House of Light, House of Light.... He looked at the broken one on the structure in the middle. That sure looked like a light...bigger than most of the one's he's already seen broken. So this had to be it, for sure. Steven licked his lips, his mind peering through theories and logics to fathom. He looked at Connie, noticing that she'd been rubbing her shoulder. He'd noticed, like all of the other things he'd noticed about Connie, that she did that on the occasion. As if her back was giving her grief. She'd hunched over the map, thinking and concentrating too much. The truth was here. It had to be. But they couldn't strain themselves while doing it. Steven had a feeling it was supposed to be simple and they made it more complicated than it needed to be.

A roll of the die said six. So, he decided that they needed to relax a little.

He'd gone around and sat behind her and tugged her away, much to her wide-eyed surprise as she was brought down and made to sit in front of him. Steven's long legs sprawled outwards beside her while he brought her close. Gently, of course. Connie was about to question what Steven was doing until she felt his fingers and thumbs dig into her back, just below her shoulders. A little bit of pain to be had, but there was more benefit to that the more she felt her muscles being unknotted and the bones in her back cracking. He mixed it in with a few digs with an elbow, to make sure every part of her back was taken care of, as well as her shoulders. Connie's never had her back massaged before. Her mother used to do it with her father, knowing much his back could act up from time to time. 

Every crack, every hard pressed touch, every nerve sent in the midst of heated flames...it was nice, putting Connie into a daze and donning a dopey grin as he did his work in a steady rhythm; with a content sigh that escaped her lips. This type of relaxation was rare and Connie savored every bit of it. Steven had learned to do this to his Dad who always mentioned that every day folk had to work hard and had little time to wind down and that massages were a temporary visit into an otherworldly bloom, where being soft was a kindness and that harsh realities didn't exist. This world was sharp. This world was dark....it didn't have to be.

Looking at the broken light above the structure, it had Steven thinking about the sun...the sun that was never seen. The sun that once guided their world...with its light currently scattered in the eternity of endless clouds above. Stories of the light of the dawn; sunrises of the east and the light of the dusk; the sunsets of the west, enraptured Steven, desiring to see the clear skies of blue he'd heard so much about. If he could make everything clear and colourful and bright and positive; reasons to have the world turning again...not to have this...dull ambiguity about it. The only inspiring light Steven had was the beautiful woman in front of him, smiling as he worked on making her feel good and the radiance that followed from having her feel like that was worth a thousand suns on its own. Unless he was getting that completely wrong and was sounding like a complete idiot. He didn't know what the sun was really like so it was hard to compare anyway...

It put his own mind at ease, able to focus on something as good being able to feel Connie's form in depth, going between hard and soft to ensure every part of it wasn't left untouched. A giggle trickled out of her as Steven went lower, towards her backside, as if to tease her. Not intentional, but hearing her flirty chuckles sparked something within him. Woops. That was not intended. Not unwelcomed, but Steven hadn't planned on anything of the sort. Woops, his mind started to put ideas here and there, coming from pure conjecture. Woops, his fingers slipped to pinch her which had her jump. It wasn't meant for malice, teasing her as she whacked his chest, thinking he did it on purpose. Steven laughed as she turned around and pushed him to the ground as she ran her fingers up his shirt to playfully return the favor. Steven couldn't help but laugh and cry as Connie tickled him, wriggling around and him begging her for mercy. 

It definitely had him began to seep into a more relaxed mindset to spend this afternoon, mucking around, ribbing the other, playing with each other. In an inspired momenta, Steven ended up finding a board game on one of the shelves; with the last board game he'd ever played with anyone was back in the Compound. He'd seen some after he'd left but...he never really had anyone to play with. This one was simply called, snakes and ladders. A simple premise, either could follow. But simple was the light he was after. Nothing more. A white die of six sides, each with a different number of black dots.

He could acknowledge the shadowy ways his mind could play tricks with him, with the triggers of darker times lurking around every corner. Not every void could be filled with laughter and smiles. It was definitely a warmth he desired but there were parts that couldn't be solved that quickly. He could look at Connie, with everything about her and the way she was that brought a brightness to his chest, to allow him to see everything that had been kept away from him for so long. A candle on her own, not so easily dowsed. No. A wildfire, that could tear him apart as much as it kept him together. How was it, for so long he was on his own, that he could fight so many battles and yet, having Connie here woke up something deep within that he'd never seen before; a spotlight on a thousand feelings within a unlocked chest. Or was it thrown in there, for good measure? To torment him as much as it brought him joy. Snakes and ladders; roll the die and the die could potentially lead you up or down...forward or backward. Or nowhere...but steps in progress.

They played a fair amount of games. Steven won a few, Connie won a few, eventually losing track of it all. It wasn't until it got really dark outside that they'd realized the storm outside had finally stopped, with the subtle howls and whistles of the wind being mere afterthoughts. Connie lit up a candle, though Steven really wanted to get the light going up there, ultra curious as to how bright it could be and what it's purpose was. He could only empower things that weren't broken, like the music devices which were surprising intact and functional. Steven learned that on his travels...having to power up certain things like lights and the odd object here and there to help him out. Nothing out of the ordinary. He didn't do it often, because of most of the things he tried were just worn and torn with time.

After dinner, the two decided to rest on the couch for the night, as Steven became the big spoon over Connie; curling himself around her like usual. The couch itself was surprisingly pretty comfy and one of the least worn they'd ever come across. All in all, today was...decent, almost. They'd planned the next day to explore the surrounding area, in the attempts to find the nearby temple. Steven could sense they were close...perhaps this was definitely the Temple of Obsidian they had been looking for. Years and years of searching, researching and fast-thought planning on a whim. It was almost over. Answers were near. Dreams were pleasant. A mind; in light and a heart; in...

A roll of the die said three.

Steven's eyes shot open, as did Connie's as they heard a massive crashing noise. It sounded like it was from downstairs. Steven got up first, cautioning Connie to hide behind the couch while he went to investigate, though they could hear loud stomps that came from the stairwell that got louder very quickly. Steven bailed on his original plan so he ended up blowing out the nearby candle and hiding behind the couch too. The two cowered behind the tiny crevice, as they looked underneath the space of the couch, seeing three pairs of feet patter about. It was Captain Jasper with Ocean and Biggs. 

Connie couldn't understand how they kept tracking them down, following the two everywhere they went. But after seeing what Steven went through while fused as Stevonnie, she could understand a bit better as to why. Not a lot, but it was clear that what he did back the Compound then had them hunting him; their dedication for a single individual who defied expectations; did amazing things no other human could. He was like them but he was also human. Rose. The drawing in the Temple - His mother. His Dad, the bald man with the long brown mane...Connie could see it easier the more she thought about it. Steven was half human and half Gem. It made a lot more sense and for someone like Steven to exist looked like had never occurred before, so of course they wanted to capture him. But perhaps they wanted him dead for being a half-breed? No? A click sounded within, switching Connie in ways she didn't notice just yet, but it had her extra cautious all the while. When she noticed, it was when her eyes caught hold of his form and having fallen in the crisis of realizing how much she didn't want him to be taken away from her. Connie missed her parents dearly, but she was not ready to lose Steven too. She couldn't lose him. She wasn't going to lose him...not if Connie could help it. The only thing that stopped her from grabbing her sword and going to fight them off wasn't just because of his hand, firmly in hers, shaking...okay maybe a little bit, but the fact that she couldn't afford to reckless with this. Their training was a work in progress and she was far from, much to her shame and even though she could think otherwise, prepared to combat these bulky monstrosities. One day, but not today. Not when they were so close.

They noted Biggs pilfering through their bags, taking out the bear and lion plushies and examining them with awe, until Ocean swatted them out of her hands; chiding her for playing with them. Steven ended up slapping his face in embarrassment. What was it with Quartzes and fighting over toys? What was it with the Diamond Queens and their hunger for using humans as entertainment? Connie hated this more and more her mind dipped into the topic. While there was joy to be found in knowing that there were definitely more humans out there, but the fact that they were being treated like dirt, being trodden on and used like they were with the lack of respect, had Connie almost fuming. She didn't blame Steven's mission...but those who put him into this predicament.

A roll of the die said one.

Jasper herself grunted, annoyed that they couldn't find them. Connie's heart raced, as did Stevens as the warriors potted around for a bit, before deciding to leave the premises entirely. They heard Jasper slapping the back of Ocean's head for lying to her. It wasn't said how they found them, only that Ocean Jasper did. Interesting. It wasn't long until they gave up on the search, going back down the stairs and leaving the tower. They'd definitely stepped on a snake, that's for sure.

* * *

Once the coast was clear, Steven and Connie came from behind the couch, ensuring that they were extra quiet in the mean time while they checked everywhere. Nothing else had been touched, thank goodness, although Steve made sure that the plushies were okay, with nary a stitch out of place. The Lion plush's mane was a bit dirty but nothing but a little of cleaning wouldn't fix.

Sighing with relief, the two debated their next move. Jasper would most likely return and they'd never left a premise in the middle of the night before. More monsters prowled in the darkness and three of those right now were the Quartz Warriors. Connie however, became restless. She wanted to protect Steven at all costs. He didn't need this. He didn't need this fear stalking him day AND night. It wasn't fair. He didn't do this on purpose, having seen and felt it all. Stevonnie would be a curse and a blessing in that instance.

Steven stood there, fidgeting with his fingers and waited for Connie to come up with an idea because he sure had none. They needed to be here and they needed to search for the Temple of Obsidian. He wasn't sure if the Quartz Warriors knew that the Temple existed, however. It took him a while to make the run arounds in his mind before making the assumption that the Quartz Warriors...could have been looking too. His mind raced with ample amounts of theories that he's collected over the years. He's only heard of the Temple from his dad and his dad was adamant for Steven to go there no matter the cost. He just....couldn't figure out why it was important. It had answers but answers to what? The truth of the unforgiving sin? How to heal the world? True paradise?

Hope guided him on that count. Hope for that better future and that's what Steven really wanted. His fear of Jasper was overridden by another sight. Looking at Connie, she appeared frantic. He'd never seen her this worried before. He tapped her on the shoulder before she spun around and gave him a big hug, wrapping her arms around him tightly. Connie didn't want him to be taken away by them, knowing that they could do unspeakable acts to him, imagining all these vivid scenarios that had him disappear before her eyes. Connie was incredibly determined not to let that happen, not on her watch.

It took a while for them to calm down as Steven collapsed on the couch, laying across it, then gestured with his hand to have Connie lie with him. She smiled, keen as she ran over and laid on top of him and allowed her head to rest on his surprisingly steady heartbeat. Steadier than hers at least. The air was still, calm and the only noises they could hear were from their breathing. Steven ended up combing his fingers through her hair, gently in a way that rippled out a sense of serene vibes throughout her body. Nice...peaceful...which allowed her to fall asleep shortly after.

The next day came as it did as the pair were excited to spend the day in the wake of better weather, searching for the Temple of Obsidian. The book had it looking much different to many of the other temples they'd come across thus far so surely they couldn't miss it, unless the artist had been over-exaggerating of course. But the eternal promise of something new, something revolutionary to their cause did have them thinking it wouldn't come across as a lie, but a special revelation to be had...a special place to be seen. The fact that they didn't know what was inside had them making thousands of theories.

The two prepared themselves and went downstairs, with the trove of ideas skipping around in the minds for what ever this temple contained for them, thinking of it in the way as they would have rolled the die to find themselves on a ladder tile. Steven opened the door first as light poured through the archway....

Only to see Captain Jasper with a horde of her Quartz Warriors standing there, surrounding them with the most devilish of grins.

They'd misread the die and stepped on a snake instead.


	15. Berserk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven's forced to confront his demons.

**Lesson 15: Don't let anger get the better of you.**

**Thump.**

This was it, they were doomed. A slight breeze drifted the hairs on end, the cloudy sky their audience and the voices of all burning souls left behind chattering behind their ears. Instead, the sights to behold were the differently coloured Quartz Warriors that circled the pair, trapping them into an unofficial arena.

Steven's instinct was to grab Connie's hand and he held it as tightly as he could. He stared straight into Captain Jaspers eyes, as she stared into his with the most defining, stinking smirk one could ever witness. It sparked an overload of emotions through Steven's body, hitting every nerve like a hammer. He swallowed they remained still for the moment, before Jasper slowly approached him, getting too close for comfort. Jasper was still notably taller than the both of them, looking down on her prey with such a spiking glance.

Connie pushed Steven back as she drew out her blade, forcing distance between them as she held the tip to Jasper's chin. The Orange Gem raised an eyebrow as Connie's face demonstrated an overwhelming amount of determination, steeling her position to defend Steven at all costs. It wasn't about being reckless. It was about being ruthless in the face of pending danger. Jasper's face twitched with sheer annoyance as she created a fist, her eyes indicators of the irritation this human caused. Connie wasn't going to back down, remaining incredibly still and vigilant as tensions ran high.

The other Warriors had their eyes on the stalemate, unsure of what their leader would do to this...weak and feeble human. But admittedly, she was brave...but stupid. Jasper in swift movements Connie couldn't read, simply moved forward, swatting the blade and got closer. Connie's reaction, a little too late as she yelped, stunned and now reeling in the fear, the Quartz now pinning her down solid with a single, powerful look. She gave Connie the chance to get out of the way as Connie pushed her back with her hand, although not by much. The other Quartzes gasped, shocked on either how insane Connie's move was or on how daring it was. Both, neither. 

Jasper squinted and was running out of patience. One more chance to move. She put one foot forward, but Connie didn't budge, only moving her blade in front of her again, this time in anticipation for any sudden movements. She wasn't going to let that run by her again. Jasper looked down and shook her head....not wanting to do this. She then quickly slapped her hands on the sides of the blade, if not for Connie's dodge and roll around to get behind Jasper that prevented her from taking her weapon. Connie went in for the strike, which had Jasper more amused than annoyed. Finally, someone with guts. Jasper made a side step as Connie's scimitar swiped past her. Connie looked to her side as Jasper went to go punch her into the ground, but Connie used that moment to roll away and stand up again, aiming her blade towards the Orange Quartz once more. Swift, fast. Jasper liked the fast ones.

Steven could only stayed there, still unsure of what he was feeling and seeing was real. He was scared, angry, in awe...this flurry of conflicts had him frozen in place as he watched the fight between Connie and Jasper. Connie held held her own quite well but Steven was just too...something to move and help her. He had to. He wanted to. Why couldn't he do what he wanted? Why didn't his body allow him to do what he wanted? He was sick of this. It wasn't until Steven heard the sickening crunch; a result of Jaspers fist hitting Connie square in the jaw which had her sent flying up and back as blood splashed out of her mouth, unceremoniously dropping her sword and sending her digging into the Earth with a thud.

**Thump.**

No.

His heart beat went from zero to a hundred in the blink of an eye, with rage building within him faster than he could control it. He used the build up of energy to run towards Connie as she struggled to stand, only for Jasper to have her arm out to prevent him from going any further. Instead, Steven just grabbed Jaspers arm, much to her stunned expression, spun her around a few times and released her bulk towards a Carnelian and Skinny Jasper. With her out of the way, he tried again to get towards Connie, until more Warriors barred his path, trying to prevent him from reaching her. This made his blood boil. He didn't want to harm them...

"Seven One Nine." Captain Jasper said coldly, as she got back up and stormed towards him, cracking her knuckles and her neck as her head curled around. She smirked as his infuriating expression that had him don the biggest glare she'd ever seen. She laughed; a chilling one at that.

Steven said nothing as he threw a punch towards her, only for Jasper to summon her crash helmet. She then took Steven's hand and yanked him forward, attempting to headbutt him, only for him to use his spare hand to summon his shield, which sent shockwaves rippling everywhere; almost tripping over the other warriors. Jasper then used the opportunity to kick Steven's feet, which had him falling over and losing his shield in the interim. She then started stomping on his chest. Other Quartzes joined in on the fun, preferring to beat the living gem out of Steven, who could only curl up to defend himself, unable to summon anything due the bombardment.

Connie shifted and coughed up the dirt caught in her throat, spitting out more blood in process. She was sitting up despite the amount of pain she was in and to her absolute horror, could see the Quartzes hurting him, as blood started to pour out of his mouth too the more they went at it. Why wasn't he defending himself? Why wasn't Connie getting up to help him? She tried. With struggle and with a lot of shaking, she did get up on her own two feet. With resolve, she charged forward and grabbed her blade and went to stab one of the Warriors, only for one of them to pull her back from the fight. She yanked her own hand and went to attack, only for another Quartz to pull her sword out of her hands and picked her up to restrain her.

She heard Steven's cries and whimpers, falling into a desperate need to save him.

"Stop it! Stop hurting him!" Connie plead as tears ran down her eyes. A hand went across her mouth to stop her from yelling.

However, it was then the circle of Warriors expanded, leaving a bigger one in its wake and leaving a gloating Jasper and a shivering Steven in the center, barely able to stand himself. His right eye was bruised as he could barely shift his eyelids, with streams of his own blood coming from both his nose and the sides of his mouth. He gritted his bloodied teeth, hunched over and breathing broken breaths. His clothes were even more torn. For all his worth as half a Quartz, he wasn't as durable as they made him out to be. Though he could still take a biT of punishment.

Once a favorite in her eyes, a Warrior Jasper admired. The one who secretly trained him. But not once did he summon his shield. He found that out on his own one day while helping his dad, who told him to never summon it in front of any Gem. All that remained the least suspicious links to his mother was Steven's immense strength that he preferred to use for good instead of using it to hurt people. But seeing Connie, lying there, broken, bruised...bloodied... had the mild amount of inborn rage stirring within, his eyes not once leaving the Captain, as she walked around him with her head held up high and stance filled with confidence as she made her stride, making Steven feel smaller than he actually was. He needed to tower over her. To lift his chin. Instead, Steven sniffed and wiped the blood off of his face with the back of his hand. 

This wasn't the first time she'd beat him up either. She'd do this, to teach humans a lesson; to know their place in the dead world, that the only thing that was saving them, were the wills of the Gracious Diamond Queens. Queen Pink never cared much for her human subjects. So Steven was told. No. He grew up in the dirt and the trash. But the people there were family to him. Family they killed. So the beatings were meant to toughen him up...and to warn him that this could happen to anyone if he didn't do as he was ordered. That the enemies out there were worse than those within the Compound, showing him an example of a monster, defeated and stealing their essence to power them up, bit by bit. Captain Jasper had killed hundreds of monsters, but then was roped into care taking the worthless sacks of meat. Steven had only defeated so few but definitely wasn't made to feel stronger than the average Quartz.

**Thump**

* * *

"Pathetic, Seven One Nine." Jasper taunted. She raised her hand for the other Quartzes to bring Connie forward, then asked for a fellow warrior to lend their summoned dagger, with a Black Quartz warrior lending their to her in a flash, pulling out of the gem on their shoulder and putting it into her hand. Jasper snickered and put the knife at the dark human's throat. Seven One Nine's face twitched, his pupils shrinking his eyes widened further out, brows furrowed as he growled through his teeth.

"LET HER GO!" He roared, summoning his shield.

Jasper could only look on in disappointment upon seeing the rose colored defense mechanism, with half-lidded eyes. It was iconic. A symbol of the Crystal Priestesses. A symbol of the Gems Who Dared; The Rebellious Ones, The Heretics...those who turned from the glory of the Diamond Queens with their mock religion, staining the empires name.

"Where did you got that shield from?" She demanded.

It belonged to...._her_...but he did not look like..._her_...he'd never summoned it anywhere else but the Arena..and now... Seven One Nine squinted, not wanting to answer Jasper was skeptical as she pulled the knife away and flipped it in her hand as she approached Seven One Nine, who shuffled back every time she got closer. She smirked. It made more sense now. Why he was so good; he was one of them. A Warrior. But he...he bled like one of _them_. He defended them...because _she_ did. 

Rose Quartz.

How Jasper _loathed_ Rose.

"This...is _mine_..." Seven One Nine claimed.

His Gem shined underneath his torn shirt, the same way that it shined that day in the arena. Same position...same pink expression. It just had to be. The similarities were too hard to ignore. Was Seven One Nine...really Rose Quartz? Could she take advantage of this? Could she still win all those bets? Roping Seven One Nine in a scheme she could end up winning still. Ideas continued to pile in her head. He was too resourceful to lose.

She lent out a hand to him, wanting to give the chance to save his own gem and come home with her. It was only the right thing to do. Seeing that human in the arms of her compatriots...it was typical of Seven One Nine to care. It was typical of Rose to care..too much of something that wasn't the same species as them. Rose at least had some fight in her. This...display was absolutely weak in comparison. Jasper could at least respect Rose's tactics. Surely, this had to be another one of her tricks. 

Seven One Nine just simply looked at her hand for the split second, then back to her. His anger, understandable. His refusal as he spat at her, rejecting her offer; was not. Jasper looked at the dark human again. Perhaps...what she saw in the Arena....Seven One Nine resurrected the human boy from Queen Blue's Compound. He was put under instant Quarantine after that incident, so Jasper heard on the gemvine. Disregarding that, she wanted to see Seven One Nine's true potential.

Jasper walked towards the young human, examining her form and her neck. No mark. A markless? Another human civilization? One that was not part of their glorious regime? Preposterous. She was also better to them alive. The Orange Gems mind continued to pilfer through so much...not entirely of what she do. The Diamond Queens would want to see him primarily, though that risked taking him away from her and her own perfect plans. She wished Seven One Nine would just make it simple for them. As for the girl? Maybe she didn't have to live. Her corpse though, would demonstrate to the Diamond Queens that she'd recently quashed or at least tried to find evidence of a failing settlement...as an example of how horrible it was to live outside of the Compounds. Just like the pair of humans she'd found a few weeks back. She should be promoted for sure.

Deciding the girl needed to die for the sake of discovery and how much he could dish out, Jasper walked over and raised the dagger to her throat with the intention to make a clean slit.

**Thump**

Steven charged forward. Jasper expected as much as she rolled out of the way. He skidded to a halt as Jasper went into a spindash, colliding with Steven repeatedly as she spun in figure eights and meeting him in the center, though he was able to protect himself with his shield once more. He was enduring far better than he expected himself to, but the factor remained with the adrenaline that ran through him, piling up, brick by brick and being unable to contain the mass amounts of an incredibly powerful urge within any longer. He had to. He needed to protect her. He had to protect her.

Their fight continued onward, with no clear conclusion in sight. The other Quartz Warriors were amazed and even cheering them on. The lust for violence apparent in their line. Steven wasn't surprised. This was in him too. But he never enjoyed fighting. Not one bit. But Jasper showed no signs of wear or slowing down. She was a full gem, after all. For all he could last was a much as his human half could take. It wasn't until Jasper out-sped him during his slowest moment that his tiredness became apparent to where she had gotten right behind him and in that instant, he felt something cold and sharp dig into his back.

"Noooo!!!!" Connie cried from afar, struggling against the hold the Warrior had her in.

Jasper stopped instantly, standing back in surprise, with the other Warriors silent and in shock. Connie had clear view of the black dagger that was struck into his body, with blood pouring out. Steven was just frozen, left with a series of squeaks and chokes that came out of his mouth, alongside more blood that dripped out of it. Jasper kept her eye on him, as his vision became extremely blurry, phasing in and out of consciousness, between darkness and colour.

He went cold...a cry, drop of water, the touch of skin, water against skin...steam that lifted from said skin...all were before he went red hot.

Ba-thump. Ba-thump, Ba-thump.

Steven felt the fire in his veins becoming hotter than ever before. He looked at his hands and his curled fingers as he begun to shake uncontrollably. The world suddenly took on a pinker hue, with Connie noticing his eyes flickering between black and pink as he strained against what ever the living hell was doing this to him.

_Ba-thump, ba-thump, Ba-thump._

The Orange Quartz wasn't sure what she expected out of this, as Steven's iris and pupils whited out completely, with a faint pinkish colour replacing them. His pupil returned a different shape too, a form and a shape that Jasper only caught a quick glimpse off before flame-like energy poured out of them. Glowing, blush pink lines formed from the sides of his sides in vein stretched lines that were more symmetrical than they were curved or actually vein like, that reached to his temples. He then pulled out the dagger of his back, though the pain of it coming out unleashed a deep, short hiss.

This was the first time Connie could see fear written on Jaspers face. The other Quartzes were both anxious and in awe as his light reached their forms, being unable to fathom what they'd just unleashed to the world.

Thump, thump,_ thump_, **thump**, _**thump**_.....

Steven tried to ignore the heavy sounds of the heart beat that rang in his ears...but all this hatred, this pent up power threatened to tear him apart from within, wanting to go off in a huge explosion of forsaken magical energy. This was meant to be the colour that was their enemy. It could still be. He glared the mother of all glares at Jasper, who had all the eyes of underling Quartzes on her. The Captain had a drop of sweat roll down her face. She couldn't show courage in the face of the monstrosity, with a glimmering pink aura around his body to boot.

His breathing became tremendously labored, taking on an inflection to his tone as he panted; an echo of this newfound power that took the reigns. He took one step forward, a show of force as he hit the ground hard that small tremors could be felt. He slowly marched towards Jasper with his head lowered, making her incredibly confused. She shook her head as she fell into a spindash and tried to collide with him again. He stood up tall, though with his head still low, reached his hand out and summoned a much larger shield that dug into the ground with a shink, which sent sparks flying. Steven didn't even look like he was struggling against it; like he was brushing it off with the least amount of effort involved in defending himself. Jasper tried a few more times before she stopped nearby, panting...and smiling. Even if she didn't understand it...she was _enjoying_ it.

She had another Quartz summon a weapon for her; A double sided axe. Steven unsummoned his shield and was in this weird state...a tranquil rage. Appearing calm, but underneath the surface was the storm that ran through him. Jasper charged, pulling the axe back as she prepared to strike. Steven stepped out of the way, then made it his job now to trip her as he kicked her foot, which sent her spinning around and landing face first in the ground. Steven jumped up, roared and threw a huge punch, though she rolled away as his fist met with the ground and made a huge crater in its wake. Jasper went to go use the axe again until it was Steven's turn...taking the axe from her and breaking the handle with his knee, which promptly had it disappearing from existence. Jasper growled in frustration as used her crash helmet to ram into him, only for Steven to catch the top part of it with his bare hands. Her face twisted into the most terrified it had ever been...matching it up with the Quartz Warriors around her, the joy instantly demolished in that microsecond.

_Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump._...

Again, Steven only used an inch of his strength against the strain as Jasper used everything she could to pummel him down. Steven effortlessly lifted her up in the air, then jumped up himself while still holding her and jumping higher than the House of Light, higher to be near the clouds and in the storm that followed, entering in the base of the dark, magenta clouds, with thunder and lightning booming all around them. They'd floated there for the moment as Steven spun her around a few times, moving to go behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist, then charging downwards at high velocity to smash her into the ground, creating a much larger crater in its wake, with dirt, dust and sand flying everywhere. 

The rest of the Quartzes were knocked over from the sheer force of the collision, which had Connie finally free as she crawled towards the craters edge. She covered her mouth as she coughed, then peered into the center, seeing Steven standing over an dirty, disheveled Jasper. She was left lying on her back and her arms and knees up to defend herself from the impossibly powerful creature in front of her, with his hands in fists, shaking and peering deep into very spirit within Jasper with those eyes of rose coloured flames. 

A body that arched over another, before Steven sat on her gut and began to punch her repeatedly, grunting as his fists met with her face. Twin attacks in sync...in a time signature...a rhythm of pain; a song of catharsis. A release of immense proportions. He was far from dry...salty sweat and the bitter taste of iron mixed into this mess formed a mixture of sweet revenge; of everything Steven had to bring out at some point. Every clash brought on everything wrong done to him. Done to those at the Compound. Done to Connie. How dare they. How dare they treat people like this. Now this was their medicine...this was the lack of mercy that had once been embedded into Steven by his father, chipped off to reveal the true monster of colour inside. seeing Jaspers own shades fade beneath him.

The final strike remained as Steven put his hands together tightly, pulling them high, before slamming them down hard against her chest as he screamed, sending out strong gusts and waves of pink electricity everywhere as Jaspers body began to implode in on itself, before she poofed, leaving a cloud of orange smoke in her wake.

* * *

The dust slowly settled with the odd spark going off here there. The only thing left sitting there, grunting and left reeling, was Steven, still encased in this cage of power he'd created for himself, although no one could fathom the power he'd possessed. He was on his knees, arms left weakly dangling by his sides; left trying to get much of his breath back as he possibly could. His aura soon dissipated, returning him to himself. He could only look at the gem in front of him. Steven picked it up, with the automatic response to crush Jasper in this state running through, before he hesitated. His hand shook with one part of him wanting to destroy her entirely, fingers twitching to fight against the overwhelming desire. He cried. No. He couldn't do it. He couldn't do it to her. No matter how much his instinct told him too.

But Jasper brought him so much pain, so much anguish...as did the other Warriors who were around the ring of the crater, whispering to their comrades about what just happened. To them. To their leader. To this...human with gem like abilities never seen before. Terror rode in their faces; a gasp elicited as Steven stood up, cradling the gem in his hands. He looked up, then looked at Connie on the edge and shook off his tears. She eventually had the energy to stand up on her own, albeit in a struggle. Steven put the gem into his pocket and almost tripped as he tried to get out of the crater, with Connie lending a hand and pulling him out. The two embraced one another, although a bit tender but it was worth seeing and touching and knowing the other was still there. Her face was bruised and battered, but nothing that Steven couldn't fix with his powers. He'd get to that after he's dealt with the perplexed crew of Quartz Warriors. With a gesture of a finger, Steven told Connie to wait as he walked over to Jaspers lackeys; Biggs and Ocean who stood next to one another, frightened.

The best thing Steven could do now, was to warn others...to warn them to stay away. To leave them alone...because they were coming. He pulled out Jaspers Gem and displayed it to them in his right hand, unharmed. Biggs and Ocean looked at one another for the moment, confused as to what they should do next. Biggs nodded her head as she walked forward first, reaching out to Stevens hand and putting hers on top of it. She then moved forward, curling Steven's fingers. It didn't feel like she'd taken it, perhaps that they didn't want Jasper back? Steven held the gem against his chest as Biggs walked backwards. Ocean then raised a hand, commanding all remaining forces to leave. There was little to deliberate or even do without Captain Jasper around. They then walked off without much of a fuss, as Connie came to stand next to Steven and waited for the group to disappear into the horizon as she pulled his left hand around her shoulders, while she rested her weary head against him, to which he held her in close with a gentle squeeze. His heartbeat returned to normal as his rage subsided completely, sighing with relief that it was over...for now. They had more battles to come, but this had to have bought them some time at least.

Steven then looked into his right hand...Jasper was definitely gone. Replaced with a rounded, hexagonal faceted, purple gem.

His heart skipped a beat.


	16. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a tense battle, the two take care of themselves in more ways than one. They also aim to find the Temple and investigate the mysterious purple gem that was given to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone ask for more smut? Because here's more smut.

**Lesson 16: Take care of your well being.**

Steven didn't expect anything of the sort to come out of him. It stunned him more than it surprised him, an unshackled beastly spirit, emerged in the throes of agony and bottled up rage. What would it be, to be akin the monster in the eyes of the monsters? What was this creature he'd become? He took solace in Connie showing no fear towards him, preferring the comforting soul of the man that she tried to protect...but she couldn't protect herself. It was far from over and far from the only battle they'll have. For now they could back off...taking their leader back to where ever they needed to go to. Who knows how long it'll be until they get back. Steven and Connie now had incredibly important work to do and only limited time to do it.

The pair returned back to the House of Light to recover. Steven had Connie sit down on the couch while he tended to her wounds, sitting to the left of her and borrowing her first aid kit to do a little bit of a clean up. Inappropriate in theory, It was...oddly intimate if Connie had to admit it. Steven cautiously asked her to take her shirt off while he looked at all the bruises on her body. A few here and there. First thing he tended to, was to gently grab her chin, then pulled her forward and gave her a deep long kiss to mend anything within. Connie preferred his taste anyway and started to feel the pain wash away in a sea of warmth and tenderness. He then kissed each bruise on her body. Her back, her chest, her stomach. Flustered and left with a quivering breath, she then took her pants off as he worked his way to her legs. 

Connie had to shake off that unkempt nerve as Steven finished up. It was his turn as Connie took off his shirt with little protest on his end. There wasn't much there...to where she figured...that energy that encased his body must have automatically healed most of him, including his bruised eye. She had him twist his body while she looked at the scar on his back where Jasper had stabbed him. She'd grabbed a tissue and antiseptic and used those to clean the blood off his back. Another battle, another mark to tally.

He heaved a huge sigh as he turned and laid back on the couch and looked at the tall ceiling. His expression, downcast in the depths of his downtrodden thoughts. Steven had no idea he could do that; having gone into this..state that just took hold. He was there but the rage steered the rudder. It left much to be desired as to what to call it, but it gave him the power to give Jasper pause; even poofing her. Temptation slid into his mind as to wanting to crumble her gem with his bare hand but he could never bring himself to do it. His mind spoke with a hundred thousand voices telling him too, but in the end, one told him not too. Which one it was, was hard to say.

Connie leaned back as well, then rested on him as she put her hand on his chest as rubbed it, trying to get him to snap out of his current line of thinking. It kind of worked, with Steven moving his head to smile at her, to where responded with a giggle that sent positive vibes flowing through him. He was thankful for her in trying to defend him, but...Quartz Warriors were a tough lot and for that short while she lasted, he was genuinely impressed however. What made him annoyed at himself the most was the inability to do move when it mattered, too locked up in his mindset to take action first.

In movements most unexpected was when Connie shifted herself on his lap and rested herself against him, then burying her face into the crook of his neck and began to suckle it, succumbing to urges not forgotten. It had his own heartbeat quicken, or go quicker that it already was. The pair were practically half-naked and for all the stress and trauma in the last few hours it had them feeling on edge still. He grabbed her face with both of his hands and began to kiss her again, pouring themselves into a moment they could share; to get it all out and heal not just their bodies but their spirits. They had some time to spare for this, surely. They deserved that much.

It was Connie who started to shift repeatedly at first as she folded her legs and put her knees besides Steven's waist. Both of them were pleading the need to put pressure between them, to hold it all inside of the hearts, but that would only cause them more hurt. Steven took the initiative in unhooking her bra and sliding the straps over and out of her arms, before wrapping them around his neck to bring herself ever closer. She continued to kiss him, harder, faster...bringing their heart beats in unison, while he dug his fingers into her back and pushed her into him more, enjoying her skin; her breasts against him. The blanket of security, the source of all that felt good, that felt right. With oxygen he could waste for her, to spill blood he could spare for her, to risk his light for her to see. It became unbearable in the torturous thoughts of Jasper laying a hand on her...Steven had almost lost his humanity for her.

It's been on that teetering edge for a while, threatening to fall, to split, to break to where he could no longer contain the deadly colours he wielded. A weapon and a shield on its own. That trailing phrase came into his mind again. _ A wildfire, that could tear him apart as much as it kept him together_. Why couldn't he focus on the healing properties of soup? Or noodles or jam? The sounds of plucked strings or the texture of soft, fluffy toys? Sensations worth protecting, sensations that told him that he was still living in this dry world, a world only dead if you didn't know where to look.

Connie had this, intense spectrum of sensations, experiences that bruised him more than anything else. Synonymous with the world worth bringing back to life. He rubbing herself against him had him growing hard, growling with the movements and the sparks that fizzled and exploded in their hearts. They let this moment guide them by, to remain with the flow, perhaps in the way it could be whenever this...rain decided to return to them. Stevens power was enough to stir a storm and this..._this_ made Connie wet after all. They were already making it rain.

Time streamed in a scramble with the pair fumbling to get themselves out of their underwear and let the full exposure to the cool air against them as their bodies became heated under the influence of the others presence, the others insatiable touch, with a simple swift graze setting the stage for the biggest blaze. Steven would let himself be burned by her, if only it was by her. His hands found their way to her cheeks, squeezing them and causing Connie to give a hot whine in his mouth. He wondered, with half a mind to experiment again, if Connie had this...tolerance of him; the thickest of skin, enough that, well, he didn't really want to, but...if he could test it, see if she liked it. Some pain was good after all. If not, Steven would learn a valuable lesson. He continued to dig there, then..._slap. _It was one that forced her to disconnect her mouth from his in that moment to breath in more than she as able to through her nose. Steven froze in fear at first as she squinted her eyes at him in the most gleaming of all glares, before her mouth shifted into a devious grin. Steven rose an eyebrow, giving off a small smile. _Slap_, as he smacked her harder, causing a small, croaked yes to escape from her mouth, as he did it a few more times for the results it gave; her absorbing and reacting to it in brilliant ways.

It was all good; she liked it. Relief was soon replaced by reckless desire as Connie shifted herself again and pushed Steven back onto the couch, forcing him to lay down while she put her legs by his sides, all the while, as her heavily blushed face and glistening grin of cheekiness overrode much as else while she took her hair out of her ponytail, letting her hair dangle past her shoulders. This was all they wanted to do really, but...well, most things would deny the chance. Which was understandable in the more logical of reasons...but this bonding...lead to discovery beyond all imagining, much more than he could find on his own. Connie played with Steven's member, rubbing it, agonizingly slow which had Steven twitching, his desires calling for her to go faster, to give in to everything right now and go for it. But there...there was still logic in this. Logic in the way things would pan out beyond what one could expect. Steven didn't pan out his powers and his strength to pummel Jasper into gemdust...almost into gemdust. She was the dustling...and here Connie was, taking command and control like the way of the Diamond Queens; an operation of utmost importance.

No. Not this again. No comparing Connie to those...witches, those sources of all evil in the world. All that was wrong and here Connie was, destined to make it all right with him. Destined to heal the world by his side. Steven groaned, with the pleasure going through him like trickles of water, restoring his spirit with all the moisture. Connie lifted her knees and guided herself to hover above him. She bit her lip, staring at Steven with that same, passionate glance, before sliding him into her with a cut off gasp. She did this a few times, before upping the pace a little. Steven's eyes immediately paid attention to her bopping breasts and bouncing hair, and his ears honed into her cries and desperate breaths as she hunched over and put her hands on his stomach, one on each side of his gem to keep her balance while he had his hands on her legs to do the same, though Connie just wanted to touch him all over, to feel the sweat encase his body.

To cauterize with the singe of her finger against the wounds, both real and superficial, both physical and spiritual, it hurt...it mended. Maybe it was supposed to be this way. He knew the pain itself would be temporary, making way for themselves to be stronger. The world slowed down when one had known that they needed to relax, to allow time to do what it meant to. The mind could focus on the pain in the dread of silence, lying there, ensuring the way of seeing the eyes that only wanted the best to happen to you. Electric shocks meant to bring you back to life....Steven knew of an ancient object was meant to do that to you, to keep you from falling back into the darkness, the loneliness; a calling of a voice to channel you back to reality. All this? All this bouncing and sliding and cries and the strain, push and pulled in every direction, where Steven felt the inevitable charge forthcoming in that sense, with the shining example of pride in his heart that burst out of his mouth with a whine. He bent his knees as Connie leaned over, moving her hands to the sides of his body. She wanted a kiss. She wanted his breath as he leaned up to give what she desired and then some. It would be accepted if he gave in, if one could die and be brought back without consequence, with the option of giving more in exchange. His vision blurred as he laid back down, but there was enough to see the pleasure written on her face and judging on how tight she was around him, she was close. As was he.

Connie upped the intensity in that, seeing Steven there, allowing her to do this to him this way, getting the better focus on his expressions even if Connie's mind was configured on all the effort she made. Steven ended up contributing as he thrust upwards, surprising her, with his hands finding their way to her ass again, slapping it and sending ripples to her core, causing her to unexpectedly squeal. More. She wanted more. Biting her lip, she looked at him with hazy, wanting eyes and nodded. _Slap_. She liked it, she liked this show of force even if she was currently the dominate one. _Slap._ The fight in him continued, as he grunted so deep that it flowed through her in such vivid vibrations that had her shiver upon hearing it, prompting her to go faster. _Slap_. No real harm done...she'll come out better in this direction, her desires holding to those brief moments that stung her, but it was the type of sting that she really enjoyed. It got more painful, unbearable. It was supposed to be. It was meant to be. It was meant for her to see the stars they never saw and she wanted him join her in this flight or fight moment, as Connie lifted her chin and closed her eyes, on the verge of collapsing entirely. Her stomach tightened, coiled with the endgame at hand.

"Come with _me_ Steven..." She muttered in between moans, with a drop of sweat rolling down her face.

More than an invitation as Steven's gem flashed rapidly, her words hitting him deeply as he held on to her hips and drove himself into her with increased vigor. He wanted to, he had to, on the verge of greatness. He grunted, then stared into her pleading eyes that took him in as he took her on. She placed her hands in his, gripping on to each tightly as they were seconds away from release.

"_Please..._"

How could he say no? He felt her begin to shake, seeing her mind and spirit....seeing _Stevonnie_....seeing the locks become undone as Steven rushed to unlocked all of his, one by one...while Connie saw them too, feeling and breaking it down the same way. Steven made one, last great thrust as unleashed himself into Connie, the same time as Connie fell and wrapped herself around him and cried in harmony with his melodic calls of increased pitches, writhing chaotically as their minds merged for that one moment that could have lasted forever, feeling the magic overtake them briefly, pushing past the stormy skies and into the upper atmospheres of the world...then falling down again in their conjoined light as Stevonnie popped into existence.

The fusion puffed and panted, with the resonances of Steven and Connie had Stevonnie in this blessed state of bliss, their facial expressions contorting with the mixtures of pleasure and happiness, biting their lip and wrapping their arms around themselves and kicking their feet in the air as they winded down from the combined orgasms that channeled throughout their entire nervous system. They didn't care that they accidentally rolled off the couch...but ended up wrapping themselves up with the blanket, giggling and sighing with content.

Reality returned to them shortly after, although they continued to look upwards. Pride, joy filled their heart; with a powerful, burning emotion that flowed through them, wrapped in thorny vines that continued to dig in deeply, yet they didn't mind it. Hugging the blanket, Stevonnie wanted to speak words they'd never used, unable to match it up with the correct terminology. They felt it, they knew it...they couldn't say it because they weren't sure, when they should be, they should be sure but they couldn't tell it. Or whisper, or think it...

The hesitation, despite how good this felt, had them de-fuse. Not that it mattered, or it did...under the influence of hearing words unspoken, unknown with the fear of misunderstanding. They could get it wrong, even if it was right. Connie and Steven laid next to one another as Steven grabbed her hand, tilting their head as they looked at one another. The magic was still there, but for now, he took her hand and kissed it, which had Connie's face grinning and blushing all the same, which Steven adored for all the cuteness it inflicted. A sickness with no cure.

* * *

Once they'd had finished with their fun, they'd quickly got cleaned up and dressed. They still had time left in the day to investigate; so both went on the focus, the nose dive into what they were really here for. Steven recalled the gem that the Warrior had given him, having mysteriously placed it into his hand after he gave back Captain Jaspers gem. Odd, unfamiliar yet familiar. It was stuck in his bag as he took it out to check. Why wasn't the gem coming back anyway? Both Connie and Him sat back down on the couch to figure it all out. Connie examined the purple gem herself, then pulled out her book and flicked through the book. The Temple of Obsidian, though she went one page forward, pointing at the star in the middle, which etched out the design of it. Four different coloured Gemstones. The left top one had the same colour as the purple gem itself, though Steven squinted at the top gem and lifted his shirt, noting the similarities between it and his. He looked at her with confusion.

It was either sheer coincidence, but..going from Steven's knowledge of Quartzes, this had to be an Amethyst and his Gem was a Rose Quartz Gem. His mothers. But why hadn't the gem reformed yet? It would have to wait.The pair got some of their gear ready and patrolled the outer areas of the surrounding lands. Sandy as all hell, but surely the temple had to be close. They didn't stray too far from the building, but there was no sign of the temple anywhere. It had them getting frustrated with getting absolutely no results what so ever. Returning to the House of Light a few hours later, Steven examined the letter once more.

"Keep heading north to the House of Light. The truth is buried there - A"

They were at the House of Light...that part was the easiest. Connie pointed out A could be the Amethyst who wrote the letter...as for the truth? Both Steven and Connie rubbed their chins, synonymous with the other and furrowed their brows, becoming deep in thought in figuring it out. The truth is buried there. It was then Steven's eyes noticed the random pair of shovels in the other side of the room. His eyes focused on that for a few minutes. The truth...is buried there. His eyes widened in realization. 

Of course,

The Temple was underneath them!

Connie was of course, perplexed by this literal notion of the temple being under tonnes of sand, which could take them ages to dig at. Steven shrugged, but he was determined to dig it out for as long as they needed it to be. Steven was going to uncover this. Connie nodded, stating that this was one thing, the one place her parents took years to find and that this...this would be, it had to be worth all the trouble.

Starting immediately, they went to work on digging around, taking their canteens, anticipating that it was going to be a lot of work and a lot of effort to clean the surrounding area. Steven's gut instinct was for him to go behind the House of Light, making the first dip into the sand as he worked into it. The wind didn't help with filling it in every so often, but Connie also worked hard to making sure progress was made. In actuality, it did take them a few days at best, with the resources they had dwindling but this had to be it. They couldn't waste all this time and figure out what they were found was all for nothing.

Bit by bit, however, they were getting somewhere as Steven's shovel hit solid rock. Both him and Connie cleared around it, taking them a few hours to recognize a face under it all. Steven's eyes sparkled, smiling. This definitely had to be it, he was a hundred percent certain. But where was the entrance? 

They took a break, having another sip of their canteens as the pair sat on the stone surface and starred up at the unforgiving cloudy sky as thunder went off. Great. The one thing they needed right was a storm. A dust storm, making their recovery effort worth nothing. Steven groaned, annoyed as he laid back, dropping the shovel on the large rounded part of the stone that he rested on. Connie noticed that the stone lit up as he touched it, turning white. The ground suddenly shook as Connie and Steven took each other hands to get out of the hole they were in, going back above it as the sand before them began to rise in circles, twisting it into a tornado. Oh no. The pair ran back into the House of Light and prepared for the worst, hiding underneath a table and waited until it was over.

The earthquakes stopped shortly after. Puzzled, the pair ran out of the House and ran up towards what now was a cliffs edge. Most of the sand had been...well, it disappeared. Steven took Connie down and around to the bottom of the cliff. Before them was the same statue as was pictured in the book. Both of them stood in awe, hand clenched in hand, unable to comprehend on what they were looking at as they fell to their knees, hugged one another cried into the others shoulders. All the struggles, all the hurt and the punishment it took. Powerful emotions too much to contain were okay to share, neither of them suffering with it, but embracing this impossible feeling, collecting the spirits into the pool of joy it brought, bringing back hope close to their chests. It was now right in front of them, with a stone door with the star decor at the base of the hands.

It was what it was; The fabled Temple of Obsidian. Recovered this very day. In more ways than one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now the design of the Dryverse Temple is almost the same as in the series canon, but with considerable differences which will be in better detail in the next chapter.  
Also, recovery here is twofold; to recover ones body/mind/spirit and recovery; describing finds and recollection efforts :D


	17. Temple of Obsidian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Connie unlock the secrets of the Temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay. Issues like work, working on my other fic and not being satisfied with what I was writing kicked in...and maintenance basically losing the data I'd wrote just as I went to post it. Then I went to bed. So I wrote more smut that I didn't intend to write originally to hopefully make up for it. But I'm sure you'll like this chapter anyway.

**Lesson 17: Don't take things for granted.**

* * *

It sat there before them, in all its glory. Who'd a thought that the day would finally arrive? Now they had to investigate...to see that all of the suffering they endured, all the punishment, the endless days of searching...would be worth it. The temple itself had this unique...charm to it. An aura and design that obviously stood out from the rest.

At the base of the Temple, where some of the hands had gathered, was a large stone wall with the outline of the star. The mark of a hand rested in the center, not to dissimilar to that of the other Temples. Steven and Connie, looked at one another, smiling before Steven put his hand on the mark. The outline lit up with a glowing golden colour as the the ground shook briefly while the wall turned out to be a door that split through the middle, with the slates sliding sideways and outwards. 

There was this surreal feeling that enveloped them, as they could feel the cool air on the skin. They entered, seeing the familiar blue stone like all of the other temples. Steven grabbed Connies hand, entering in as thus. Once inside, the door promptly closed behind them. Cyan flames lit up on stone torches on the left and right sides of the room. revealing the white tiled floor beneath them. The smell in here wasn't quite as stale but it didn't look as dusty as they'd expected it to be. The far back wall had five shiny black onyx slates embedded in the design with a golden rim around it that contrasted with the lighter blue wall, each etched with a different star. There was a black line that rose from the top of each of them, and went towards a much larger star above all five of them, within the corners of the stars pointy bits had their own circle. Connie checked out her book, flipping through various pages and seeing each of the gems designs in question. The purple one was there too...and Steven's. Each of them had this; ineligible text underneath but there was no questioning it now.

They approached each of the slates properly, examining the small dots in the center of the slates. The two on the left had a red and a blue gem and the two on the right, with the right most with a white gem and the one next to it looking like it was missing one. The middle most one definitely had one missing too. Steven was entranced by the center slate, noting the design of the interior dot matched up with his gem. He looked at Connie again, thinking this had to be for him. He took the purple gem out of his pocket, though this one was a different design in its facets. He walked over to the other hole, using his blue bracelet to examine it. His eyes darted back and forth, to help make sure he was a hundred percent certain that this was it. Connie nodded in understanding, as Steven walked over and carefully slotted them gem into the hole. The gem itself spun in further, with a simple a flash indicated it was neatly in place. Though nothing else happened at that stage, but with a few ideas in mind they'd connected the dots easier than they thought, while Steven went back to the middle most hole to examine it.

Familiar wouldn't be the right word to use, maybe nostalgia? Steven rested his thumb underneath his chin as to how these weird feelings came to be. He'd never even been here before and the only explanation he could give for this was due to his gem. It had to be. His father did tell him outright that his mother sacrificed herself to make him, he understood that much. That was not an issue to wrap his head around in that case. But for every answer, a new question arose. Whys and hows erupted but with no real reason to be dealt with. Truthfully, it frustrated him a bit, but he could let it slide for now. His fingers skimmed the outline of the hole, then trailed inwards to where the hole began to light up. 

Tremors sounded in that instant as the room began to shift and change on itself. Steven took Connie it and raised the shield above himself while everything started shake with trace amounts of dust and dirt flying everywhere. All of the other gems lit up with harmonic chimes and stayed in position, although both of them had closed their eyes as they huddled underneath Steven's shield until the vibrations halted. Opening their eyes, they could see the most impossible sight before them. 

A small lake of blooming cascade waters; with a wooden bridge between their position and to the other side, but on each side of the side had blue rock formations with...green flora. _Green_ flora. The most green they'd ever seen that looked _natural_ and _fresh. _Ferns, trees and glowing mushrooms of white, yellow, blue, pink and of course more green which took their own sizes and design, like one that had the tendrils like those of a willow tree. They sat with pristine, pleasant sounding waterfalls and lily pads and roses of pink One could inhale through their nose and smell the overwhelming aromas you'd never come across in ones eternally dry existence. It had a wet, sweetness but also the obscure trace of moist dirt...an impossible scent otherwise. The other side held a large courtyard with an assortment of navy benches and tables. The back wall had five doors, although the middle most one was the largest and had no decor, the others had their own with the left most one holding two gems, the one next it holding Steven's Gem and on the other side of the blank door had the purple and white gems on those doors respectively.

Their amazement went towards the four gems that were previously held in place rotated around and flew towards the star. Two of the gems merged into one entity, while the others reformed on their own. The gems huddled together different shapes, different sizes; The left most, wearing dark red robes, tall with a visor and squarish black hair. The middle one, shorter, with wild lavender hair and the right most skinny with blue robes, with light peach hair and gem positioned on her forehead. Each of them on their own little golden star brooch that rested on the collar of their flowing cloaks. It took them a moment to get their surroundings; with Steven guessing that they might have been like this for a long time. The Dark Red One took one look at Steven, adjusted her visor and examined him thoroughly, eventually donning the small crevice of a smile on her lips. The Purple One had the widest grin while the Blue Robed One looked on, stunned and could only murmur a single word all the while.

"Rose?" 

Steven was't sure how he should react. It felt awkward as Connie stood behind him and held on to his hand; sensing his unnerved state. Who could blame him? He was so used to fight Warriors and Monsters that it would be hard to get used to a good gem after all this time.

The red robed one shook her head as she looked at the Blue One. She held this poise about her, suggesting that she was the leader of these infamously talked about Crystal Priestesses. She then turned back to Steven and rested her hand on her chest.

"Garnet; Priestess of Truth and Love." She introduced.

Garnet huh. She seemed reasonable and one you'd dared not to cross with. She then pointed towards the Purple Robed One.

"Amethyst; Priestess of Joy and Balance."

The one who helped them out. She seemed smaller than what Steven had expected but that didn't faze Steven in the slightest. She then introduced the blue robed one.

"Pearl; Priestess of Peace and Justice."

Pearl. She looked the most unimpressed for what ever reason. It made Steven a bit anxious about her, but she had to be a good gem for sure. Garnet then slowly walked towards Steven and rested her hand on his chest, much to his perplexed expression.

"Steven; Son of Rose; Priestess of Courage and Harmony."

His mother. He'd known she was a part of something greater going from his dads words. But nothing this great. Surely. Her attention was soon turned to Connie, who looked sheepish and unsure if she; a pure human should even be there with them. Steven wanted her here and they could be damned if they told him otherwise.

"Connie; A Markless; Daughter of the Free."

Now that he thought about it, how did Garnet know their names? She raised a hand and curled her finger, to gesture to Steven to follow them as they turned around. Steven breathed deeply through his nose and felt Connie squeeze his hand as they began to make the first steps forward. To where? The unknown? Garnet wouldn't let them down a dark path, as Steven's known those who had lead him down there once before. Twice before.

They took them to the pink gem door. His mothers door. His door now, apparently. Amethyst took his still hand, much to Steven's vision of being unprepared and slapped it on the gem which lit up, with the door shifting upwards to reveal the room within.

"Take your shoes off and clean yourselves up and make yourselves comfortable. Amethyst will make you dinner and Pearl will mend your clothes. Then meet me in the Courtyard." Said Garnet.

This was absolutely astonishing. Steven thought this was some bizarre dream, filled with beautiful serene hues that calmed him down and made him feel at ease. Both him and Connie took off their boots and placed them next to the door. It was odd, but the good kind of odd. Doom and gloom lingered but for now they could allow themselves this interval where there could be a lack of fear and for them to explore what the future would hold.

"Welcome home."

* * *

The room itself was vast, brilliant and not what Steven had been expected. Tall roof, walls. A huge gold star adorned the back wall, not unlike the red piece of tapestry they found at the Mountain Temple and underneath it was a large bed, with the mattress of amaranth fabric and light pink cushions with white lines that sat above a set of white stairs. The floor, the carpet of salmon and a carpet of the giant star embedded into a circular rug. To the right was a set of fuchsia couches by a white coffee table. The roof had this huge deep pink chandelier that absolutely sparkled under the light. Wooden furniture adorned other parts well like drawers and tables.

Pearl, with her hands behind her back and standing ever upright, stood in front of the door to the left hand side and opened it as thus; leaving Steven and Connie gasping in awe at the sight before them. A bathroom. Pure, clean and all white. A definite contrast to what they were seeing and they weren't definitely used to. A shower stall on the right of them, spa bath on the back end and toilet, sink and faucet on the left.

"Clothes please." Pearl said, almost exasperated as she stood there with her arms out.

Steven and Connie looked at one another, thinking in unison as if to say with unspoken words; did we really hear what she just said? Pearl then cleared her throat after a moment of just standing there, contemplating their next move. Both of them nodded as they stripped down, to Steven in his yellow shorts and Connie to her black bra and underwear and gave their dirty, damaged clothes to Pearl, who winced briefly, complete with a nose twitch. Did their clothes smell that bad?

Still, Pearl left the room and the two to their own device. Steven's first note was the shower stall. He's used showers before, but not this clean and contained within a glass barrier. He took a look at the shiny, metal handles, the left one with the red mark indicating hot and the right indicating cold. Steven had tried that once before but it was only ever cold...and only if they ever decided to let the water run on that specific day. His hand reached out to the red handle and turned it with enough force, with an instant spray of practically hot water almost scalding, forcing him to jump and hiss at the near instant burn, stunned on how boiling that actually was. He frantically went to the other handle and adjusted the temperature accordingly to be just right. Balance was key, as he sighed with relief upon finding something that was just right

Connie on the meanwhile had gotten out the black bottle of soap, the white bottle of shampoo and yellow sponge from her bag and promptly returned to the bathroom with them in hand. She would almost drop them, looking on at the gush of water streams with this...impossible feeling running through her. She went doe-eyed at the drops that fell from the shower head and was reminded of the description of rain for that brief moment. While fast in motion, Connie couldn't help but feel emotional, wanting her parents to see this. To tell them she'd seen the closest thing to rain. Steven gave out his hand. It was like the first time they'd met, him taking care of her and her wounds. Connie took his hand without delay as he pulled her and gave her a light peck on the cheeks. Steven took the cleaning products and turned to put them on the shelf underneath the shower head, then turned to Connie and pulled down her straps, slowly, cautiously. Connie understood, pulling her hair out of its ponytail then turning around to let Steven unhook her bra. Both of them then pulled off their shorts and underwear and let it all drop outside of the shower.

Steven took her hand once more to usher her inside, finding himself doing that repeatedly due to how uncertain her placing was in the temple, the figurative human among the magical beings. One, nerved and shaky foot rested itself on the floor, letting the small pool of water trap her feet and the light skim of the water drops fall on the top of it. She's never felt something like this before. Another foot in, as Steven moved them both underneath the shower head and closed the door, with the steam building up on the glass around them, now in this place that if Connie could find out that heaven was real, it would have an infinite amount of showers. 

Eyes; his eyes trailed the way as it hit her head, allowing the warmth the soak into her scalp like a subtle message, then down her face, washing off the armor of dirt and sweat they'd collected so far since their last cleansing. It went down to her back, he chest and off her breasts like tiny water falls. It cloaked her in this pattern of little rivers and creeks around her body, putting her into this protective cocoon of pure liquid. She closed her eyes, reaping in all it provided for her, churning her gut with the disbelief that this was real. She breathed in and exhaled, her mind sent into this trance were the truth was normally a blurred, steaming hot mess. Opening her eyes, she could see Steven smiling with half-lidded eyes, adoring the way she was taking it all in. 

Steven's heart was sent fluttering upon the visuals and he listened to her jittered tones and watched the grin creep up on her face, which turned red at his calm, peaceful expression. He raised a finger and gently caressed her forearm while the two reflected in each others eyes. An ember slowly burned in his gut and played crushing games in his chest; a bit hotter than the humid realm that they had made for themselves. He could stare at her all day if he could. Connie brought herself in closer, as she went on her tippy toes and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. It made the embers grow into those wildfires again in that instant, where no amount of water could possibly douse it. 

They parted briefly as Steven took note of the soap and shampoo and nudged his head towards the shelf. Connie nodded and allowed him to take the lead. He took the sponge and poured the soap on it, then went to work on scrubbing Connie squeaky clean, going from her chest, to her stomach to her breasts. He ended playing with them, holding one in is hand and bobbed it repeatedly, watching it ripple about and making matching bop noises with his mouth, to which had Connie chuckling over how silly, but funny it was. He did the same with the other and she snorted as a result, unable to contain herself.

Once her front was done, Steven grabbed her shoulders to gently turn her around and wash her back. He still couldn't fathom on how beautiful she was from head to toe and took in every moment of washing her back. It wasn't until he got to her bottom end and find himself cheekily pinching of her cheeks, which had her turn, jump, spin back and snatch the sponge from a giggling Steven. Connie puffed her cheeks, trying to be angry but failing, playfully smacking Steven with the sponge.

It was his turn with Connie pouring more soap into the sponge itself and ran it over his chest. Her eyes followed the sensations, like back at the pool and loved this process. She couldn't get why, perhaps there something about the way she could indirectly touch this way. She'd still felt the hard parts of his body and the more defining aspects such as curves, bones and muscles. It wasn't an art form or anything of the sort, though it didn't stop Connie for thinking about it in that way. She wanted to, using the sponge like a paint brush. Though that line of thought stopped once she got to his stomach and roughly (not too hard though as to cause Steven grief) scrubbed his gem, making sure she could see herself in its reflection, finishing it off with a kiss, which had Steven react to it like it tickled as he shivered. 

She tapped him gently twice to get him to turn around so she could work on his back, though couldn't help but spank him before she got started...revenge from what he did to her before. He reacted with surprise, turning his head around and looking at her with a flirty expression that drove her nuts; half-lidded eyes with a grin that hit her like a dagger. How a single look could turn her knees weak if she let it. Once his back was clean and her mind out of the gutter, Steven turned back around to reveal the bubble beard he'd created in the mean time. He stood there, looking on with pride and laughing, before slathering more soap on Connie's face and giving her one too. Connie made a fake, mocking laugh, mimicking Steven down to the hands on hips, elbows and out standing tall.

It wasn't until the two overused the soap, falling into this childish mood as they tried to slather the other with more soap. It became heavy to the point where the shower itself was covered in soap as they washed each others hair, albeit with great effort since Steven insisted on scrubbing the shampoo into Connie, although not without vocal consequence. Unlike before, Connie intended for that, riling up Steven something fierce while he dug her fingers into her scalp. He couldn't help himself, washing one hand and ending up putting it in front of her crotch. For fun or revenge, it didn't matter. He wanted Connie to remember this moment too. Steven brought her in close and carefully massaged her clit with his finger. How a day of such day of violence had both of them so frisky, could blame on their hormones riding on this intense high.

Connie shook in that split second, biting her lip and unconsciously spreading her legs as Steven rubbed her, then put in two fingers and curling repeatedly, which had her unintentionally thrust forward a few times. She moaned, sighed and closed her eyes to allow her mind to focus on Steven fundamentally touching her. Connie was lost in a seance of pleasure made by his remonstrating motions alone, as the hand that was once scrubbing her head traveled to a breast as he took into his hand and squeezed it whole.

She was already wet and she couldn't stop her knees from weakening like before, barely able to keep herself stable as he fingered her. He did this so patiently too, teasing Connie relentlessly. She felt good but the way he did it was terrifically tormenting, allowing her to simmer on the inside.

It got hotter, as Steven continued to be outright annoying in the way he allowed this fester. Her mind wanted to tell him to get on with it, but this was wasn't entirely unpleasant, boiling within and waiting for the eventual peak to explode from within. Her breath quickened as the muscles in her stomach tightened, the usual tell tale signs. He then moved his hand to one side of her head, moving it the side as he started to suckle on her neck, which made things more torturous, in a good way. 

Between broken moans, inhales and exhales, the timing between them went up as Connie could feel the storm of chaos enter her mind once again, struggling to hold on, but was lucky Steven could keep her up right by moving his hand to her waist and holding there while he finally went faster. Her facial expression twisted, as the pitch her of whines went higher and inserting small, hastened and cracked yes in between. Her body then shook violently as she pressed Stevens hand against her crotch and placed her hand on the glass, crying out, feeling her tightening up around his finger and allowing her orgasm to flow like the water around her.

Connie puffed and panted as Steven waited until she decided to move on her own, removing his fingers. She turned around to see her essence on his fingers as he gave her another evil, tongue-in-cheek grin. Upon the furrowing of her brows due to the confusion, Connie watched on as Steven sucked on said fingers, which then had said brows jolting upwards in surprise. She didn't know what to say, but his own brows bobbed up and down suggestively, seemingly liking the taste of well, her.

She wanted to grimace, instead taking it upon herself to look at his now hardened member poking out like a beacon needing attention. She snatched it, making him yelp in surprise as she began to pump slowly, pouring her mischievous eyes into his and not breaking eye contact while she would continue to give it to him as well.

He grunted, as she wanted him to. She loved all the faces he made, playing a game with him. Steven on the other hand expected the response. He took in the slicks and swallowed, pursing his lips. He groaned, to Connie's delight, looking at her as she looked so pleased with herself as she played with him. Steven could see the words written on her expression, daring him to plead and beg. No. He wouldn't do it. He couldn't lose that battle that easy. He found himself thrusting forward like she did and getting a hold of the top of the glass wall just to get a grip of himself.

Connie chuckled, thinking that now would be the grandest time to properly taste him and she went down on her knees, to his astonishment. Not once did she take her eyes off of him, going and holding his cock in her hands. Could she take it and be careful this time? Steven would need to make sure, but nodded and gave permission with a subtle nod. She grinned and took a portion of his member in her mouth. She wasn't worried about anything and took in her experiences from last time to not.

The feeling of her moist interior felt more powerful than the heat of the shower water. Connie sighed with content, enjoying the experience at a more tempered pace, slathering her tongue everywhere and making slopping noises in doing sending, sending the half gem crazy. Steven licked his lips, peering down as Connie's glance intensified. He placed a hand on her head and found himself randomly quaking at times, growling as he felt the internal pile up. 

He didn't want to be worried, but he was. But Connie knew, or at least, she had to know where the limit was. Eventually Connie hastened as Steven breathed in harder than before, his chest rapidly rising and falling as Connie rested her hands on his pelvis and took him further into her mouth. Steven was hesitant, wanting to control it and had his hearing tuned in case. He couldn't stop himself, beginning his whines.

With a single thrust, Steven growled deeply as he came, looking down as he could see the results out of Connie's mouth and grimacing in tow. He kept a close, ensuring she was okay. She coughed twice as she took herself away, then spat at the ground. She lifted her hand as Steven took it, pulling her up to her own to feet and taking her other one to help her feel stabilized. 

He looked on in worry initially as Connie panted, then grinned and gave off the same flirty, brow waggling expression as he did before. Both of them began to snort as their cheeks puffed up, then started laughing wholeheartedly.

Using way too much soap again, Steven ended up cleaning her face again and removing all traces of their...uh...fun. There was something so simple about laughter and the joy it brought to Steven's heart. It made him fall so deep into this unknown, fiery state that it was like every time he looked at Connie, he wanted to tell her something but couldn't find the right words to say it.

Their skittish desires continued as soon as she was finished with washing Steven's hair, she began to tickle him and as a result of their carefree...and careless behavior, the soap ended up pouring above the top of the glass walls of the stall and out onto the floor. The two snickered as Steven opened the door, to see the flurry of soap clouds surrounding most of the floor.

It was then Pearl came in unannounced and almost slipped on the floor itself, only for her to maintain her grip on the nearby wall and carrying in two white towel robes; one sky blue and one light pink. She looked at the pair, who again had puffed cheeks, trying so hard not to laugh as they stood next to one another and looked into each others eyes as if to ask the other what to do. Pearl's eyes widened, though Steven couldn't tell if she was pissed off or disappointed. Probably both.

She groaned anyway, throwing the white towels robes to the pair, with the pink one to Steven and the blue one to Connie out of frustration. Steven felt bad as Pearl shooed them out of the bathroom as she pulled out a mop from her gem and slamming the door behind her, telling them Amethyst had almost finished making their dinner and followed up with a sigh of exasperation.

* * *

Steven knew that they would make up for that at some point, already making a bad impression. Never the less, the two dried themselves and put on their robes and leaving the sanctity of the room. The middle door was open as Steven took Connie's hand and walked them both into it.

It was a elongated room, a dining room if you will. It had a lengthy rectangular wooden table that had two white bowls at the end closest to a black, squarish fire place with a long, cylinder that reached into the roof. The right wall had huge frames of whom Steven assumed to be the current and past members of the Crystal Priestesses. The one in the middle, the one with the biggest painting was one who had to be his mother. The symbol of their rebellion against the Diamond Queens. She looked divinly beautiful as it messed with Steven's already stewed feelings even further.

The left side of the room had a pair of white flappy gates to where Amethyst had come out with a huge pot of soup, adorning a cute chefs hat and an adorable smile. Steven and Connie were eager to dig in as she poured the soup with a ladle into their bowls, showing off the chunky brown soup with diced cooked vegetables. Both of them licked their lips in sync as she scoffed down the soup.

Amethyst was certainly pleased that they enjoyed their meal as they asked for seconds...and thirds and served them with nice, cool drinks of water. This was definitely heaven. Surely they had died. With the little soup left, Amethyst simply lifted the pot and allowed the remains to easily pour into her mouth, which had Steven chuckle, amused by the gutsy gem. She was a Quartz all right...all eager to prove themselves in any way shape or form.

To Steven, personally it had been the most relaxed he'd felt in a long time. For once, gems and monsters weren't trying to kill them and they were actually helping them. He'd had to be on guard just in case, but for everything they knew, from what Steven knew and what Connie's book explained, they had to take the chance to trust these...so called heretics and to see what they could tell them. After all, Steven wanted to save the others from their terrible fates...as well as Connie's parents, where ever they were. Once they got their grounding and used to their new surroundings, it was only then they could begin to figure out a plan.

* * *

After dinner, Amethyst took the pair outside into the courtyard, as Pearl finished up from the mess they made and came out the pink cushions for Steven and Connie to sit on, before she sat down on the bench with Amethyst and Garnet; where the latter took a deep breath, preparing them for a tale of life time. Steven, while tired as everything else from todays events, was eager to find out what he was really a part of. A destiny potentially written out for him and that he would be the one to heal the world and bring the rain and the sun back. If what they had sampled today was a part of the result, then Steven wanted to share that with all the humans back in the Compound. With Connie by his side as the two exchanged shining glances, both indeed ready for Garnet's Story as she went into a full theatrical mode with Amethyst and Pear by her sides.

"Now, I'll tell you the whole story of the Unforgiving Sin...and your Mothers part of it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Too much soap! https://imgur.com/vDmFcvv Thanks Nymphie!


	18. Unforgiving Sin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet explains the history of the Dry World to Steven and Connie.

Once upon a time, there existed two races. Humans and Gems.

Humans were mortal creatures, thriving in their environments and evolved over thousands of years. They started off as simple creatures that hunted and gathered, to making their own cities and laws. From rich green flora and crystal blue waters, to developed gray structures and controlled black roads. In line with the humans were the Gems. Immortal, magical, colourful and often left in the confines of their mysterious temples and alcoves, mostly keeping to themselves reserved to their rules, boundaries and while humans knew they existed, one could go their entire life without seeing a single gem since they were often isolated in locales where no human eye could see. 

An agreement was forged and agreed upon in the beginning in the sate for peace and serenity, that no gem would strike a human and that no human were to strike a gem. The Great Truce, was born and written by the leaders of the humans and the Gems very own Diamond Kingdom. Which had been in place through hundreds of generations; taught to any new gem or human upon emergence and birth and were the Old Ways of the contented spirits.

It was never said how Humans and Gems came to be on the planet; one would argue who was there first. Humans argue that gems invaded the planet eons ago, while Gems would state that humans grew on the planet like plants. Knowledge was lost to the ages. Truth perhaps, forgotten and cared not for, as the two races worked together to protect the planet and provided each other with resources if mutual agreements were made. As humans would birth humans, Gems forged new Gems from Kindergarten Temples; sacred spaces where resources were gathered in a specific place and and at a specific time to form specific Gems. Both races aimed to make the best of their alliance, that within the days where they would need it most, they would work together if any threat were to arrive. Doctrines were common place where certain humans worshiped some of the more powerful and rare gems as deities, especially when it came to the most powerful of Gems. Some Gems liked it, some saw it as annoying. Some, perhaps, took advantage of the hapless humans and formed their own, forbidden cults and religious sects.

A prophecy, collected by rare, respected Gems part of the Corundum Coven, predicted a change in the tides between the two, should one member of one race harm the other. Who struck first to break the truce? The only people who know the truth, are the Four Diamond Queens. For they were the curators of the Unforgiving Sin. Queen White, Queen Yellow, Queen Blue and Queen Pink.

They were under the impression that the Humans were the ones to strike, so they in turn, would strike back. The world burned with the technology and weaponry from the humans and the magics and power of the Gems. However, the humans were tenacious, brave with their sheer numbers and their tactics. Despite the powerful magic Gems had wielded, it wasn't enough as Kindergarten Temples were destroyed, halting their normal reproduction methods. Without their Temples, Gems were losing and their number were dwindling fast. The Diamond Queens did not want to lose. So at all cost, they did the unspeakable, though it was not said on how they did it. Some say they struck a deal to become Shining Gods and would be granted immense power in exchange for a sacrifice. They took the power of the world of colour in that instant, forcing it to fade without light and rain. Greens turned to browns and blues turned to grays. It was a Sin, considered heinous nonetheless.

Human numbers dropped dramatically and large populations across the known world died slow, painful deaths caused by disease, drought, famine over the course of a few years, a result of taking all of the resources Humans needed for the sake of winning the war. A human leader; a member of one of the Doctrines stepped up and begged to be saved, no longer wanting to fight and preferred to be protected and guided by their new Gods, taking it as a sign that humans always needed to serve their merciful Goddesses. Three of the Four Diamond Queens accepted this as surrender.

The Diamond Queens, having won, had formed the Four Compounds and had their Quartz Warriors; their general troops round up humans across the planet to force them to work in their Compounds; providing services and harvesting resources as thus in exchange for their lives.  
For now, this alliance was now an uneasy one, but the Diamond Queens had now complete rule over the planet, from their High Towers of White. However, there was one Gem who did not like seeing the suffering of life forms. Rose Quartz; a fabled former Captain of her own group of Warriors from Compound Four; Queen Pink's Domain, clad in brilliant rose pink armor on top of her white dressed garb that made most Warriors jealous of her abnormal beauty and strength to match, beating her Warriors to rise to the top of the Command Chain so quickly and yet at the same time, always gave off this air of grace around her, impressing those of the upper crusts...including those in the Corundum Coven, the Beryl Benefactors and even the Diamond Queens themselves.

One aspect of Rose however, one that could be considered a fatal flaw in the eyes of her own kind, was that she'd adored humanity with every light of her being. The thoughts swirled in her mind, day in and day out and was left wondering if she was the only one who saw how wrong this situation was just like her. The first one she found was Maiden Pearl; a Gem meant to be in the service of other Gems and were just barely above humans in respect. The second she found was a Forbidden Fusion of a Sapphire Seer and Ruby Soldier from the aforementioned Corundum Coven, both understanding the love they had for the other, who had become the Fusion Garnet. Such fusions were considered heresy by the Diamond Queens and Gems were often condemned to a fate worse than death when they broke such laws. The third, an Amethyst; a defective Quartz Warrior who would have been shattered the moment she emerged from her Kindergarten Temple, but was saved by Rose and taught how to love humans and their ways.

Others did follow in her footsteps within due course, forming a rebellion and new name for her band of brave individuals. The Crystal Priestesses; defenders of the old ways, protectors of humanity, heretics to the Diamond Kingdom and would promise to bring back the rain and the sun; the World of Before, the World of Colour, with Rose as Head Priestess. She had guided this group for many years, under the noses of the Queens. Though, one day, Rose's plan was eventually discovered and she was told to disband this nonsense...or face the wrath of the Queens. She left with her mixed group of Gems, but some...who considered Rose to be a fabled Deity of Liberty among gems and humans; remained. These people were snuffed out and were condemned to torture or worse.

Rose kept returning back to Compound Four with the help of some of the undiscovered rebels and human Acolytes. Until one day, she'd fallen in love with one of the Acolytes. She wanted to take this human back to the Temple of Obsidian; her base of operations but he didn't want to leave his friends and family there. The others warned that one day Rose would be caught sneaking in and out of the Compound, but not once was she caught. Eventually, she wanted to hand over leadership to Priestess Garnet as, deciding her fate was to be with the Acolyte and to formulate a plan from within the Compound, disguising herself as a human for the mean time.

The other Priestesses were in disarray and unhappy with this arrangement, though stuck by her word irregardless, receiving messages and still making requests to help prepare for the future; including rebuilding her room with odd adjustments. She was so sure the future itself would be brighter again, leaving all hope with her Priestesses to make sure her wishes were granted; that the sun would shine and the rain to fall once again, no matter the cost.

Garnet had become Head Priestess in the disappearance of their old leader, using her magic to scry and see that Rose had left a piece of her legacy behind. The Hybrid Child, both of the faded world and of the coloured world...that he would be its saviour, to unite all fronts and to forge peace for the first time in...well, a long time and made the necessary arrangements for him to return home. Rose's requests had now made sense, though her end game idea was never quite clear to them. Only to protect, teach and guide others on their righteous path to restoration and all those left behind in want, to be able to find their desires on the horizon and be granted amnesty. 

But now, as the half-breed returns to uphold the name of his mother and her cause, he would be granted the old title and the Markless to receive her own in triumph. Priest Steven of Courage and Harmony...and his Acolyte Connie of Freedom and Hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gems were basically like an Elven race in this world and if you weren't getting the picture, creating Gems requires alchemy in a sense.


	19. Scent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven trains and learns more about himself and gem kind.

It felt like it was the same dream, over and over again, night after night. Occasionally, given the place they had found themselves in, Steven found it very hard to believe that they were here; going from all the vibrant sights and more pleasant smells that had him feel more at ease, much better that the mustier smells found out in the open. Steven kept trying to wake himself up due to sheer disbelief of the world space and the scents that weren't at all familiar to him. The Temple of Obsidian was run on Gem technology; namely the magic that allowed them to manipulate the interiors of the rooms on their whim, though the only part that was real was the Courtyard and some of the furniture in Steven's room and the dining room. But thanks to Pearl, the place was mostly clean and devoid of disgusting auras. She'd also took the time to amend their clothes and make them look presentable and less warn, giving Steven's normally faded pink shirt a more vibrant hue, his dark brown leather jacket less torn in places and his jeans less patchy, with his brown boots more clean. Connie's clothes consisted of her now aqua top with a black leather jacket and jeans and black boots.

Each day was different, spent learning more about Gemkind and the history of the Priestesses. They also learned about how their reproduction methods work, which made it weird for him to understand he was made, more so even if his dad tried to explain it.

Through the Crystal Priestesses, it was apparent his mother didn't explain very much as to how and the more in depth reasons as to why she had done this; to give herself up to make Steven. Garnet was content to guide and Amethyst was amicable enough that both Steven and Connie got along the most with her. It was Pearl who'd been very antagonistic towards them, begrudging in her services, her premise that was once in better times to her that she served his mother with great enthusiasm. Now Steven was in her place, it gave him the idea Pearl didn't like him very much for taking his mother away from them. Garnet had to remind Pearl to heed Rose's call, to suit her old room to her sons needs. It was her very last order, before, well...

In order to get a proper footing within the Crystal Priestesses, Steven needed to train himself further. Garnet would be Steven's teacher, taking him into her quite large abode. Connie would come in to watch them train, sitting by on a simple futon on a raised platform on the right hand side of the room and noted the oriental aesthetics of the white floorboards and high arched roof with wooden frames with white walls that took in the light from outside and give the wall itself a soft warm glow, alongside sliding doors of paper on the left hand side. A low, brown pine table sat at the back of the room with the Gold Star symbol on the wall. On the table were lit candles of different sizes and heights. Smoke spiraled upwards from the stick of the incense in the middle, which gave off what could be described as a clean, crisp aroma. It sat beneath an image of Rose and the rest of the Priestesses

Steven's training gear was simple. Wearing a white shirt with black shorts with pink stripes on the sides. Garnet would transform her robes into a deep red and black singlet with asymmetrical pink and black shorts. They would spar as Garnet kept testing Steven's skills with her giant gauntlets, especially with his shield, though he struggled at first due to generally holding his shields up too late as she quickly found his weak spots. The room filled quickly with the rhythms of their clashes. Thumps, clangs, whacks, panting on Steven's end when ever he became too fatigued to carry on due to the intensity Garnet provided in her fast, accurate battle style against his passive and slow defenses. Connie would shirk any time Steven would be struck by Garnet's fist or from one of her kicks. She'd stop short of pummeling him to the ground and would criticize him on his common issue of holding back on her. Connie could smell his salty sweat on top of the aroma that filled the room; indicating that he was actually working harder than he was normally.

From what Connie understood, Steven didn't really want to hurt her. She could get the idea that he did not want to lose control like he did with Captain Jasper; complete with those unforgettable fiery pink eyes; burning with rage and contempt. Each training session ended the same way, with Garnet calling him out on being too predictable and easy to read when it came to his attacks. Monsters were easy, since they didn't follow any kind of method when they fight. Steven had been trained previously by Jasper, but was hesitant on enacting it with Garnet.

It went on for a while, for a week had passed. Steven improved slightly but the way he continued to fight left much to be desired. She eventually brought Amethyst in; another Quartz Soldier he could be more familiar with. Steven sat on a futon with Connie, watching as the two fought. Amethyst would be in a black tank top and shorts with her wild hair in a rough ponytail, while Garnet brought out her gauntlets and Amethyst her whip. Much more damage was done here as Amethyst moved about with a series of spin-dashes herself. It left the room with broken floors and pillars alongside huge cracks and holes in the walls due to how much the other threw in with their attacks. Though 'magic' would be able to repair that on Garnets command. 

Amethyst definitely had a contrasting style. Hers was quick, nimble and what Garnet deemed to be almost, perfectly unpredictable as opposed to Steven's static methods. He needed to learn how to maneuver properly and be able to take advantage of the moment when it came up. His responses were on the slower side, but not the worst to be seen.

By the end of the week, Steven left Garnets room to go back into his and was very much in a horrible mood. He had a steaming hot shower on his own to rid of all the disgusting sweat and odor and let the burning sensations cleanse his skin. After that, he dried himself and left the bathroom to get dressed in his shirt and jeans. Connie could see from the furrowing of his brows on how frustrated he was with himself and on how he just didn't get it. As Connie got him to sit on the couch, she massaged his shoulders and could feel such tension, such hardness he had that he needed to wind down from. He downed a glass of water, before arching his back into a slump and rested his head into his hands. Connie frowned at his distressed state, barely able to compose himself at the fact he felt like he continued to disappoint the gems who took him in. Garnet was a harsh teacher and the world outside was much harsher. Steven knew that. It was this reluctance to fight back when it mattered that was the main issue. He leaned back against the couch as his eyes became focused to the roof, his mind heavy with contemplation and irritated thoughts that gnawed at his gut, putting his hand on his chest as he squeezed the fabric of his shirt.

Amethyst had come into the room shortly after with a little brown box and rested it on the table. A smaller, rectangular black object as Amethyst moved things about. Another incense? An unfamiliar scent wafted in the room, trailing itself up Steven nose's as he sniffed twice. He sat up, looking at the purple gem with curiosity, then back to the incense to lean over as Amethyst shoved it closer towards him. 

"Lavender." Amethyst said.

She winked and left the room with her hands behind her head, bewildering Steven greatly. He inhaled, taking in the earthly, floral scent as his mind eventually filtered through the anxiety and eventually calming him down. His eyes became half lidded as he struggled to stay awake. Connie on the other hand had since gotten up, noticing that Steven had begun to fall asleep. He'd ajusted himself to nap on the couch as Connie retrieved a nearby pink blanket. Steven rested his head on the arm of the couch and by the time Connie returned he was already snoring, which had her snicker but admire his dopey face as he slept. She'd put the blanket on him and tucked him in, kissing him on the forehead to let him rest.

One part that irked Connie greatly was the lack of proper...what would be the word...encouragement? Positive reinforcement? Something along those lines as Garnet continued to drill into him with words that Connie felt would deeply upset him. All that lead to him believing that he wasn't good enough. It made her...angry. What was Steven supposed to achieve here? Peace? Such a destiny laid on his shoulders alone was never quite clear to begin with and Connie demanded answers. 

She'd left the room shortly to let him sleep, though noticing that Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl were in the courtyard, discussing Steven's progress. Connie quickly hid behind a nearby rock formation. It was an act that would be considered untrustworthy; to eavesdrop on their conversation but Connie didn't want to waste the opportunity to hear them talk with the idea that either of them weren't in the room to listen to. If Connie could get an idea as to how she could help Steven, she could first get an idea of what the Gems wanted out of him. His future depended on their guidance in this crazy, confusing world and to make it even more confusing for Steven would not help them at all. Connie knew him to the point that yes, he did want to help. He just had to be told how and not be dowsed in nonsense and random spouts of incenses to puzzle him further.

"He's just like Rose." Garnet commented.

"He holds promise...just lacks initiative."

He was like his mother. 

"Why couldn't she just come back? We'd find another Summoning Temple if she needed one." Pearl noted with a bit of a strain to her tone.

Summoning Temple? They did explain how Gems were created under specific circumstances. Steven was not made under those specific circumstances.

"If we want everlasting peace with the humans, we need someone to represent both species. To empathize with both sides of the same coin." Garnet explained.

Empathy? Is that all this was?

"Why didn't we tell him that?" Amethyst queried.

Yeah, why not?

"Because even we're not sure if that's entire truth of Rose's choice but knowing Rose, that was something she considered when we had our Acolytes. We need Steven to be able to fight back. Not just against the Unsaved, but against the enemies he's had before he was even born. He has potential, but it'll be worth nothing to us if he continues the way he does. We need to continue to train Steven until he decides to fight properly." Garnet concluded.

It wasn't clear to them either. Steven could prove relentless in combat when pushed too far. The way he dominated Jasper with the force of a truly powerful Quartz Warrior, Connie realized that none of them knew what she knew about Steven. He could fight. He just didn't want to, but when push comes to shove, he was absolutely terrifying to behold when he had no other choice but to bring everything to the forefront, to lay it all down and to let roll out in a continuous motion of destructive behaviors. It was his greatest fear that would need to be shoved aside.

To 'fight properly' meant to being able to tap into that beast mode of his. But first, he had to learn to control it. Before he could control it, maybe Connie could continue to fight in his stead, knowing how much he hated doing this. They wanted him to be able to show such prowess in the battlefield. Steven was more a lover, than a fighter. To smell the roses instead of using its thorns. So, Connie in her utmost belief, needed to learn even more about her own potential and to able to defend Steven where it mattered. It had to matter, she wasn't made an acolyte for nothing. She didn't want to waste her time here for nothing. Connie wanted to be there for him and to help him heal the world as promised, to earn her place in history to where she had the courage to save not just her parents, but the whole world as well. It'd been on her mind for some time, more so than usual and more intense in her dedication than the last training session she had. For now, she returned back into his room, to see his resting form in the same position as before, looking the most at peace it had been in a long time which warmed Connie's heart. She wanted to protect his dreams too. 

The next day she'd approached Garnet in her room while she was meditating with the sweet, apple like smell permeating in the air, with the question if she could be trained like Steven. Garnet was hesitant, but relented, but pointed towards Pearl behind her, who was surprised at the notion of training a human with her widened eyes. Connie turned as she went on her knees with eyes pleading and hands together, begging for Pearl to train her. Pearl may have been a bit off-put, annoyed by the prospect, but Connie insisted. The skinny gem sighed and nodded, with Connie's excitement going through the roof with her massive grin.

The smell of victory was on the horizon.


	20. Worth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven makes food with Amethyst while Connie trains with Pearl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm writing Pearl as a bit of an antagonist force against the pair due to reasons which will be explained. So apologies to Pearl fans for writing her this way.

The world was full of amazing contrasts. Colours, faded shades, light, dark. Happiness, sadness. Things one could see and feel, solidifying entire spectrums to get a hold of ones existence. The premise, the promise of being alive.

Sounds could be the same. Loud, quiet...touch as hard, soft. Ways the world told you were heard and that you were tangible and worthy of existing or not.

Taste on the other hand...taste could take everything out of sight, emotion, the noise one would could make to indicate one enjoyed or disliked their meal and the touch of texture. 

Noodles, soup, jerky, jam and biscuits. Steven gathered that there world of before had more interesting delicacies. He missed Apple's mostly but at the same time triggered the blessing and curse of being alive. Old memories. Memories of the once provided gift, the reward of doing a good job in the arena. Now that he looked at apples as they sat on the table in the dining room, a collection in a wicker basket and all he could hear and see is Jasper. Despite him beating the living daylights out of her, Steven's mind still felt the fear and the taste of blood on his tongue. How could one's perception of such a simple, juicy object change and warp as it did? Transforming what should be harmless, instead it just did the opposite out of this, stupid, unnecessary connection to darker times. Steven did not fear apples.

He could get the warm feelings as his thoughts went in Connie's direction, the taste of her lips, her tongue, her skin, her everything. Each part unique and each part special. He's been down that road before...it's parts he embraced and he knew that they were hers. That parts he held on to; Connie's unique textures, her special song for their special times. It left him unknowingly in this trance with a goofy lovestruck expression, just thinking about it as Connie was with Pearl at this point so he obviously had to use something to work with. His imagination wouldn't compare but it would be enough to day dream on.

_Donk_

He was whipped out of his thoughts by Amethyst who'd sat on the table with a cheeky look on her face and playing with an apple in her hand, legs crossed as she leaned in Steven's direction. He couldn't quite get what she wanted. Amethyst nudged her head towards the entrance to the kitchen, to which Steven had even bothered to visit. She invited him in, with him expecting this, incredibly messy place. Instead, it was surprisingly clean with white with bits purple decor. He figured Pearl would probably clean up the mess after Amethyst was busy making her...creations.

At the right hand side of the kitchen was a little garden, filled with vegetables and plants. Amethyst pointed towards a pink liquid, that when poured into the soil, instantly grew a tomato in its place. Magical, just magical as Amethyst took the tomato, a food once considered extinct and one that Steven could only find artificial, overly preserved sauces from time to time. She handed it to Steven who then admired its smooth surface and smelled the freshness that was delightful. He handed it back to Amethyst who smiled. It was then they talked about cooking. Something essential, something Steven found calming and fun.

Amethyst had to gather ingredients from the outside world. She only ever made food for herself and maybe Garnet if it piqued her fancy. They didn't need to eat, not really. But in this moment, Amethyst was glad to make bigger meals and to have a purpose rather than stuffing her own face and only her own face. Pearl would berate her for making messes; proving his earlier theory. The liquid was a potent magical potion, mean to encourage growth and replenishment as well as providing energy on a whim. Steven had barely seen Gem magic besides it being used for destruction and the providing his own, healing powers had been the only positive meaning boon to his half-breed nature.

One ingredient she was after was particular plant she'd been after for year. Vanilla. An extract she needed, persay. She took Steven into her room one day; one of the largest he'd ever seen fit into such a small space. Purple hued rock walls with glistening gemstones and geodes embedded randomly that lit up as they went past. The room was a mess but to Amethyst it was an organised mess; a system. But it doubled as a storage room as Amethyst took it upon herself to be one of the more resourceful of the Crystal Priestesses. One in charge of cooking and storage it seemed. It had a mixture of furniture and junked in dotted piles but to the right hand side was a series of shelves and books of all shapes and sizes. The largest golden star adorned the back wall above a series of light purple cushions and...toys of all things. What was it with Quartzes and their fascination with soft toys? A question that would come to Steven's mind every so often. The desk with three legs next to it, that was only being held up and balanced by a small, equally sized little mushroom garden decor, had several different frames. One of herself in a landscaped, purple fuzzy frame, one of the Crystal Priestesses in golden coloured portrait frame and one of Rose in a pink with white stars sparkling around it. The mess around the frames consisted of fake flowers and petals.

Amethyst took a cream coloured book out to show Steven what vanilla flowers looked like and that one day she'd be able to make something with the extract. Steven was more than okay than going on the hunt for some flowers. It took to hope that not all was lost, although he had a distinct feeling if there were any existing flowers, that they'd most likely be nestled within the Blue Compound.

While the Pink Compound looked rusted and derelict, the other Compounds had more richer, fertile lands. The Blue Compound was said to hold ancient seeds of the old world, tending to large garden of sorts. He's heard of it from random Blue Compound Humans in the past and wondered if it still existed. He stood there, to ponder it for a bit, wondering if it was a good idea to steel his way into the Blue Compound itself just to get resources for Amethyst.

They'd talked about this to Garnet in her room who outright said no to the both of them. Amethyst pleaded, but Garnet outright refused to let them go, not until Steven's training was done at least.

* * *

A few hours later, Connie returned back with Pearl while Steven helped Amethyst make the nights dinner. The mythical spaghetti. Amethyst had found well preserved noodles from one of her old expedition and coupled with the tomato's she had grown, created a fantastic meal. As they sat in the dining room, its scent wafted in the air as Connie was almost left drooling, while Steven slid a bowl over to her and put one on the table for himself. Amethyst jumped to sit next to Steven with the biggest grin on her face as they went to eat.

To say they made a larger mess in here than they did in the kitchen was an understatement. Connie couldn't help but laugh as Steven and Amethyst had sauce all over their faces, with Steven constantly slurping the noodles and having the ends slapping him in the face. Pearl walked past; as per the norm when it came to Amethyst's cooking and went into the kitchen.

Their training today was filled with strict routine and discipline. Her room was quite unique. Concrete tiles sat in a large rectangular shape with old statues depicting ancient gem warriors dotted the far corners. To which the entire construct sat above a large pool of water that stretched out as far as it could that poured into a white abyss, with other large waterfalls spread around them. The roof was no where to be seen, only the dark void, with a series of self-floating ribbons that were strewn across. At the back of the platform was a stone, square slate with the golden star, not to dissimilar to the design of the other rooms she'd seen so far and a marble table with a picture of who Pearl explained was Steven's mother, Rose with several candles surrounding her.

Pearl's training was harsh as she could criticize a bit more harshly than Garnet did with Steven. It was said Pearl had personally trained Acolytes previously, though going from her less than enthused tone, Pearl didn't like doing so, but relented as her Head Priestess told her that Humans deserved to learn as they needed to defend themselves against their kin. She examined Connie's scimitar and was generally unimpressed and would note to Connie that they would have go and find a good weapon for her soon. Her blade would do for now. Pearl first had Connie demonstrate her current skills, then nitpicked small things like her stance and the angles to which she could strike were off by several inches. Connie grew anxious.

It was like nothing she did was right. While Pearls critique was calm and not once did she raise her voice at Connie, it was the constant disapproval of her technique and adjustments to her style began to weigh down on Connie herself, who just strove to improve and work herself all the harder. It reminded Connie of how critical her parents were, but that scenario was purely for survival. So Connie should have been used to this kind of talk. But she wasn't. Even when it exhausted Connie to the brink, Pearl continued to push with repeated motions until Connie could get it right. 

Maybe that was when she laughed at Steven's and Amethyst's antics that it'd been the most relieved she'd felt for the day, but her anxiety built up inside of her as Pearl walked past, like her instincts were telling her to behave. 

After dinner, she went back into their room to relax, though todays training would continue to fester in her mind. She waited on the bed with her knees up to her chest until Steven returned, who was busy helping Amethyst wash the dishes. The way Pearl had been talking to her as well, telling Connie she needed to protect Steven and that she didn't matter...and that Acolytes only really served their Priestesses to defend them, had Connie's perception warped. Yes, she wanted to help Steven...but the way Pearl drilled it into her had her really think, not to the way she originally believed it to be, that Steven belonged to them and that after all the trauma he had been through, that having fun with Amethyst was a part of desire of the Priesthoods goals. To be allowed the freedoms their kind would crave to have but at the same time, allow humans to fight for that dream too. To earn those same freedoms.

Rose wanted Gems and humans to be free. To go back to the old ways and fight for the the light that was lost.

Her mind fell into the way todays training played with her senses. Pearl didn't really have a scent, but Connie could smell her own sweat and her body had been aching in multiple places as she strained to better herself. All for the good of their future, was the pain she endured as Pearl brought out her spear and almost nicked Connie a few times. The way Pearl's voice spelled out the ways that Steven wouldn't always be there to heal her and that patching herself up to carry on the battle would be commonplace. Connie enjoyed those soft kisses he gave when she got injured and reveled in the magical feeling as it flowed through her while she healed up. The way he gave her a reassuring smile afterwards sent a warm, fuzziness from top to bottom. The taste of his tongue as they made out in the smallest slices of time where they could take the tiniest bits of pleasure to lighten up their spirits. Then Pearls voice would break through to order her to concentrate.

In comparison, Pearl was cold, rigid...precise, analytical, critical. Edge to edge without the in between blurs. A sharpness mostly felt from her words and body language that dug away at Connie's chest deeply. Connie would press on, but couldn't deny how heavy it was to her and desired more than anything than to have Steven with her right now. Instead, the sounds of his laughing with Amethyst got to her, to where she didn't realize the worst emotion was coming to surface, one Pearl had been jousting at all day.

Jealousy.

The two acted like they had known each other their entire lives and yet, it had only been a week. Whether or not it'd be pulling pranks on Pearl or hanging around in Amethyst's room and playing with toys if he wasn't busy training with Garnet. Even so, Amethyst cheered Steven on while the two trained like he was definitely getting better and yet, Pearl did none of the sort.

Steven came into the room shortly after which had Connie instantly cheer up briefly as she smiled. She wasn't mad at him, not by a long shot. It was a nagging voice at the back of her head that told her she wasn't good enough or even worthy of being here. He gestured for her to come down and join him in the shower...an activity they hadn't shared in a while. Connie beamed, jumping off the bed in the excitement.

The two cleaned one another, as Steven noticed the cuts to her form, presumably from the training. His brows furrowed as he went to wash her back but noticed a scar on her shoulder. A scar that shouldn't be there. He shook his head as he continued to clean her, but then noticed on the whole on how tense Connie was right now. Something had happened.

The two went to bed shortly after in shorts and underwear, though Steven's mind focused on her. She leaned back with her hands on her stomach as her eyes peered up into the roof. Steven did the same, though he turned to his side to face Connie, who only budged her head to look at him. He smiled and put an index and middle finger on her chest and made them dance. Connie grinned, almost giggling at the silly display he was pulling. She then sighed, turning her head back up into the ceiling.

Steven wasn't having this at all as he leaned in to kiss her cheek, suggesting to her that they could relieve some stress if she really wanted it. He could tell something was disturbing her. She allowed him to make traces over her body with his hands and fingers, starting with the chin, to the neck to the shoulder and up and over the arms to the side of her chest, her waist then her hips, training across her stomach to the other side and doing the same. Connie couldn't help but snort in some parts due to how ticklish she could be.

She adored the way he touched her, reveling on how simple, but effective it could be. Steven just wanted to comfort her. That's all he was doing. Was Connie worthy of such affection? Pearl seemed to think otherwise. She was his Acolyte. Their Acolyte. All she could achieve by being this standard, run of the mill human stuck in a situation that one could hope to be in while being an ordinary human with no powers whats so ever. Connie would serve them, serve the Priesthood in the only way she could.

Connie had already given herself to Steven many times over so it was nothing new. It was...right but it was wrong that it was right. At least, to her previous perception that to be underneath him in terms of the current hierarchy. Steven had never given the impression to be dominate...unless... at least, he had strengthened the reason that they were to be equals. He never demanded much and that to each of the requests, Connie would happily attend to. Was this supposed to be the case however. What if she wanted to comply _because_ he was much more powerful than her? That the only way to survive in this harsh dead world was to really allow herself to fade in to his commands? To the commands of Gem kind, no matter what form they would take?

A shiver an up her spine in such a thought. But..his eyes were written in such a way that his intentions were the most clear of anyone. More so than Pearl, definitely more so than Garnet. Amethyst? Well, Amethyst was the one who helped them get here to begin with so...she was hard to determine really, but if Steven had fun with her than she wasn't a bad person by any means.

She definitely trusted Steven and only really trusted him right now. The faith in his spirit and the way his eyes were at this moment, pleaded to Connie to tell him what the problem was. Truthfully, it was hard to explain. Was Connie....what was she to him? Really? Her hand went to his cheek and felt it, to where he had his hand against hers. A sensation more...emboldening than anything else. The way his wide, dark eyes continued to dart between hers, so large that his worry was practically written over and over again. There was no doubt that he cared. Steven then pulled her hand off his face and moved so he could kiss the back of it...reinforcing her aforementioned belief.

Then out of the blue, he had this cheeky look on his face, before he moved his head to her stomach, pressed his lips against it and blew, making gross noises as Connie burst out laughing on how stupid yet tickly it felt to her. 

Despite all the overreaching arches of said doubt, being here with him, right there and then, definitely made it all worth the trouble, at least.


	21. Legacy Warrior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven tries to learn about his mom...and his moms friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pearl being a bitch won't last forever I swear.

That morning felt off. Connie had gotten up before him. Probably eager to get into training with Pearl. It left Steven on his own, laying on his bed and looking at the tall, pink ceiling and left wondering about things. Things that had happened, things that were changing so fast within the past week that he struggled to get grip of it all. Today was supposed to be another day, but for some reason...an itch in his head was in want of a scratching, for reasons unknown. Though, perhaps his itch was related to questions unanswered yet.

There was only so much Steven learned about his mother from his dad. A strong, beautiful Quartz Warrior embracing a sacrifice to create him for what magical destiny she had planned for the faded and the colourful. The Priestesses would comment on Steven's similarities to her, her power as noted by Garnet, her heart as noted by Amethyst and her smile as noted by Pearl. Each of them had something positive to say about her. That being said, based of what Jasper called upon before hand raised more questions as his mothers true motives. He himself, the combination of a faded human and a colourful gem.

He could stand in the bathroom all day, in his shorts while standing in front of the mirror, eyes fixated on the gem she gifted to him as if it would eventually talk on its own. Though he forced himself out it, preparing to head out after spatting his hands and spend the grueling day ahead with Garnet. What was Rose really like? If he had known her, would she been as lovely and amazing as everyone made her out to be? His mind tripped back in the time in the Compound. He'd see the other kids with their moms and Steven with only his dad. Dead parents weren't at all uncommon, given the violent nature of the Pink Compound, but it still had him clenching his shirt near his stomach, wondering, fearing and being outright confused about what he was really feeling as his own gut churned on those moments. While Gemkind could be cruel, humans could be crueler. Fighting over food or other luxuries. Steven would have to protect his Dad from unsavoury individuals looking to take advantage or were looking to harm him. They feared Steven more due to his bulk and his muscle while he grew up. While Steven never really had to punch anyone, he'd always, unusually have this intimidating aura, even if he never really used his powers. Sometimes Steven was too late to the scene and was forced to take his Dad back home to patch him up. He didn't like when Steven used his healing powers. It considered really was suspicious that Greg would get beat up and come out the next day like he was a new person. There were close calls and many arguments to a confused Steven, for him to just to stay away from his dad and let him patch himself up.

Ironically Steven was usually one of the more friendly people there, chalking it up as the fair few individuals he'd hung around in his life could vouch for. It made him think how kind his mother supposedly was. Ideas and thoughts itched in his mind however, about how she just...left. There were times Steven would hear his Dad crying, but wasn't able to do much to comfort him, when Steven thought of himself as the reason that his mother was gone and that on most days despair would have Greg bedridden and Steven left doing the chores. This had gone on for years. 

So the very patterns tracing his brain when ever the idea came up randomly, were how his Dad coped now that Steven was gone too. Was he still alive? Steven hoped so. Hope would be the only patched up softness that gave Steven any ease on the matter. Born of a legacy of a noble warrior and a man who just was wrapped up a in mess not of his own making,

Steven got into his training gear and he'd planned to go to ask Garnet if there would be anything else he should know about his mother, who would only note that there was a lot that Rose left behind to the benefit of humanity and those Gems who'd follow the path to redemption. Not every Gem was guilty of the Diamond Queens Sin but they still shouldered the burden irregardless. Gems who, may suffer under the pretense that they held the power gifted to them by their superiors. Regret; was it a motivator in Rose's ambitions?

It was hard to say when Steven could never quite root out the truth. Freeing humanity from its confines and for the world to regrow...a vast, nearly impossible goal but there had to be a way to bring it all back. The whole way this was brought out was never really properly explained. The truth itself was dug so deeply, no Gem or human would be able to reap it all out in one go.

Maybe it was when Connie brought up her parents that his mind instantly clicked to his Dad in those instances. He couldn't forget them either.

Speaking of Connie, he'd remembered the drawing in the Micro-Temple they'd looked at and they had this need to find that mysterious sword, although unsure if it was real or not as he stood behind Garnets door before he entered. He'd described it to Garnet during their training session, where they were able to spar and talk in a fashion that the two were most comfortable with one another and Garnet was confident in Steven's levels. She'd noted that it would have been his mothers sword, lost to the ages as well. Pearl had been trying to hunt it down for years herself, but had no such luck either. Garnet then noted it was probable that she planted it somewhere for Steven to find somewhere in this desolate place so that one day, he'd hold the courage to wield it in her name.

Pearl; the gem Steven had the inclinations that she held the most spite for himself and Connie. Steven wanted to question what Pearl's story was. He kept up his shield, as Garnet could tell from his perturbed face that he was deeper in thought and not concentrating properly to the point she almost swiped him, but didn't chastise him. She stopped short of hitting his face, then pulled back and took him before the table and had him sit down next to her, cross his legs and meditate, inhaling the fragrances of the incense while they talked.

* * *

Garnet didn't know much about humans personally. She was never really around them that much. The Corundum Coven were normally away from prying eyes, protected in depth and most of the prophecies kept to themselves. Given the way that Garnet came about was...unexpected. Unwelcomed by most but Rose was the one who took her in and told her about what freedoms she really had. Truth to the words of the reality forged by the Diamond Queens themselves, to carve their way to Godhood and let loose their fury on the hapless, weak humans. 

Rose's actions did escape her, eluding her predictions in every which way. Steven came to mind in small conversations, where Rose had taken her aside and placed her faith, putting her as Head Priestess while she decided to leave. Garnet did hold the same faith in Rose, despite Garnet's own power not working the way she wanted it to. She could see Steven and Connie getting stronger and that she was determined to put them on that path to salvation, as a Head Priestess should.

After hearing about Rose's demise, it was Pearl who suffered the most. She'd lock herself in her room for days on end and had nonstop sobbed over it. Amethyst tried to bring her out a couple of times but to no avail. In a way, Garnet could understand how Pearl really felt about Rose herself, bringing her out of a fate considered depraving. A Pearl in service was a Pearl treated no worse than a human. Pearl's reaction to knowing Steven's existence was a mixture of hatefulness and anger, wanting to storm back to the Pink Compound to bring Rose back from a horrible fate of being treated as a human in the new form she took. Ironically, Rose saw this happening before Garnet did and urged Garnet to reign in on Pearl's impulse desires and that it would not be what Pearl would expect if she tried to do so. Amethyst was, of course, saddened by the loss of Rose, being that she was the one Quartz who treated her right and helped her be her own Gem and encouraged her to explore her own spirit and desires.

But Amethyst took it better quicker than anticipated and worried more so for her comrades, which had Garnet put more trust in Amethyst over all as a result, leading her to go help guide Steven to the Temple, as Garnet's visions told her that one day the fruits of Rose's labor would return to them, but in this new form. It didn't matter if it took them a while to adjust, Garnet would encourage both Pearl and Amethyst to call him Steven; as was expected by Rose herself.

Though the one question rode on Steven's lips on that count.

What was _really_ expected of Steven over all and how was he expected to save the world?

No one knew.

Not even Garnet.

First thing Steven had to endeavour to do however, was to get to know the Crystal Priestesses better. If he couldn't find out more about his mom, then he was going to get to understand those who once served her, those who carried on her purpose and dedication to a cause. It was the least he could do for those who housed them and kept them fed, as well as being able to be given the space necessary to find out how he was going to accomplish all this. They were considered extremely lucky and Steven was in no way, going to take it all for granted. Going from their daily hang outs, Amethyst was fun to be with and training with Garnet felt like cup full of in depth wisdom was being gently poured over him, but Pearl? Steven struggled to get along with her. Even as Pearl served them, cleaned up and did what ever else, it felt like she was being forced to do it, despite the other gems saying otherwise. There was this sneer or negative energy that oozed from her, not unlike certain Quartz Warriors he's come to know over the years as well as the upper crusts back in the Compound. Pearl worked as hard as she could with Rose previously, according to what Amethyst mentioned and that for her to be replaced by Steven, could be akin to an insult to her legacy.

Amethyst herself didn't believe that. Neither did Garnet. It was all in Pearl's head.

Steven had to get through to her. Though, Garnet did warn him not let her get to him.

* * *

After training, Steven felt compelled, pulled into the direction where his mind was made up to boldly go in the direction to recognize Pearl as someone he should be able to trust. His mother trusted her so Steven obviously had to as well. He entered into her room, seeing her training Connie extremely hard, noticing how the latter was straining against the holographic projections Pearl had summoned her to fight against. Steven stood at the door as it closed, not going forward as he observed the fight from afar in the water bound abyssal palace. Pearl stood aside, still and straight as a nail as she cautiously watched her eager, hard working Acolyte. She'd sown an interesting fighting gown of sorts, a loose sleeveless body-suit that was cut off at the calves, dark blue in colour with the star on the red belt. According to Amethyst, the garb was common among Acolyte Trainees back in the day. 

He could see why Connie looked absolutely exhausted at the end of each day, though Steven had begun to notice, like all the things he'd notice about Connie, about how distant she was becoming. It was small at first, but then the look in her eyes changed to that of the divine sparkling sort, to almost dead, with huge bags under her eyes. She got up at the same time each day, as one of them would initiate the kiss of dawn, but this morning held the biggest contrast to what he'd expected. No kiss. Just silence and a sense of off-balanced feelings.

Here, was a nature unforeseen, though Steven felt like he should do something about, feeling outright uncomfortable of how intense the fighting had become with the horde of hologram Pearls being relentless, ruthless and taking every advantage of any openings Connie would slip out. It looked like Connie was more on the defensive and it looked outright unfair. Steven's brows furrowed, hearing Connie's cries and grunts as her tear mixed in with her sweat. She was in pain and several cuts were found on her arms, legs and torso. No wonder she was avoiding showers with him in the morning. Connie didn't want him to see the scars she was wearing now...to become a Warrior like him. Steven felt his blood boil as his skin heated up, seeing Connie almost falling over at times, with Pearl calling on her to try harder.

It was when Connie slipped and the hologram Pearls all jumped at once, that Steven unconsciously ran forward, sliding in front of Connie and summoned his shield over the both of them. The blades hit his shield, which sent a twanging noise echoing throughout the room, with the holograms glitching, then fizzling out of existence. He turned to Connie, whom was left shocked, wide eyed with surprise as she tried desperately to get her breath back. His small smile and gesture asked if she was okay. She then smiled in return, then nodded as Steven got her back onto her two wobbly feet and allowed her to hold on to his shoulder while she tried to recuperate.

Much to Steven's stunned look came about as Pearl grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet, causing his shield to dissipate as Pearl forced Steven to look at her, giving off her air of disapproval. Steven yanked his arm away and glared at her. She was taking this too far. The two held a stand off as Steven clenched his fist, forcibly restraining himself to get Pearl to back down while she could.

It was obvious now on how much Pearl had been corrupting Connie, as Steven kept looking back at how weary she was, barely able to get her own footing. This was cruel. He knew this type of intensity and while it was important Connie was to be taught on how to fight, it didn't need to be like this. She didn't need to be tormented or hurt and pushed to the brink of destroying herself. That was the same way Captain Jasper had taught him. Pearl must have been taught the same way, desperate to be seen as a Warrior and not a servant. The arrogance, the stuffiness of her pose and her stature. 

Pearl didn't appear phased or fearful of him and brushed him off quite easily as she crossed her arms.

"Quartz Class training weeds out the weak and creates the strong." She commented, sounding non-plussed.

"You should know this...._Steven._"

Steven narrowed his eyes on how she said his name with such...poisonous disgust. It only served to make him angrier. He pressed his hand to his chest, then nudged his head to Connie.

"Quartz...Human." He told her.

Pearl smirked, reaching out and bopping his nose, teasing him.

"Half a Quartz. Half a Human." She said mockingly.

"Some decisions of hers are questionable. You think you're worthy to inherit her title?"

Steven growled, struggling to control his temper. How dare she? She might have been a friend of his mothers but right now, its as if she was daring to get her to respect him. Titles could take a hike, given the only thing he had to do was work towards saving the planet. He felt Connie squeeze his shoulder, as he turned to her, while she looked on in worry. All his training with Garnet today had the blood still pumping, but much harder and hormones left all over the place as his focus became head on one thing. He summoned his shield.

"What makes _you_ think I care about what _you_ think?" He growled, shocking Connie to her core as her eyes widened. She squeezed his shoulder again, trying to get him to stop while he was ahead.

Pearl grinned, summoning her spear and twirling it and herself in a flexible dance-like fashion.

"Served her for centuries. We fight for that beauty of this planet that was lost."

* * *

It wasn't long until Garnet and Amethyst had entered the room, watching on as the argument between Steven and Pearl continued to escalate. Amethyst brought popcorn and made note of Pearl finally getting her comeuppance, as Garnet took Connie with her as they moved to the side and sat down on a nearby bench. Obviously Garnet had seen something that warranted her safety. Connie tried to call out to Steven, until Garnet pressed her finger against the girls lips.

The dye had been cast as it took to the point where the two warriors agreed to fight. Connie didn't like how Pearl goaded Steven into fighting her, for what ever reason. Her mind had been filtered through so much over the last week and it had been more than worried on pleasing Pearl than outright realizing what she had been doing. Steven saving her snapped her to senses and its as if he woke her up from a very vivid dream.

Connie's main concern was that, yes, this was Quartz Level Training. Connie had asked to be Steven's equal and that make taking on the same intense battles would take in the meanwhile. If Connie could push through that level of difficulty, then she would be able to fight on equal strands. She didn't notice that it had been too early for to take on such levels, that she should have just waited until she could her head around the basics. She begun to silently freak out, not remembering whether or not it was Pearl who suggested it or it was Connie who ordered her to. Now it was too late. Steven would demonstrate once more on how strong a real Quartz Warrior could be and while Pearl herself was not a Quartz, she was fast, nimble and accurate. 

Pearl stood opposite to Steven on the playing field, against the rushing tides of her room and the gushing waterfalls. How tranquility would be ironic to the tense heated situation between the bulky Steven and the stick thin Pearl. Pearl just had this composure, this confidence in her aura like she's danced the same routine hundreds of times before. Rose. Steven's mother. Trained her in the ways of a Quartz Warrior, albeit knowing where their weaknesses lied in their slow movements. Connie wasn't sure, however who she should be more worried for...Steven or Pearl. She's seen Steven fight and she prayed that he wouldn't go in that direction. Connie looked up at Garnet, who had her arms crossed and her attention to the two, not saying or commenting any further.

"Let us begin!" Pearl announced, reforming her clothes into some kind of light blue leotard with a star on the chest and pink slippers.

Steven charged first, preferring to use his fists as Garnet taught him to, but Pearl perfectly dodged, her movements most elegant and her arrogance knowing no bounds as Steven could not touch her. Connie sat there, her legs together as she made shaking fists herself, scrunching in her fingers, anticipating some kind of stalemate although it was going to hard to say if it was really gonna go down to the wire. She winced however as Pearl used the butt end of her spear into Steven's back and forcing him to land face first into the ground. Pearl twirled her spear forward, preparing to fire blasts of light from it. Steven managed to roll away to dodge as she fired away, with him sitting there on one knee as he brought up his shield to defend himself, with the last of her blasts hitting said shield square in the center.

Connie could tell Steven's rage, in his inner warrior telling him to attack. It was a lot different to his battle with Jasper. He was more on the offense here than he was before. Garnet had taught him a lot about fighting, using his fists more so. But Pearl was just too quick for him. They moved about the room, with the performance on both ends being quite the counter-balance to each other. Steven was as durable as Pearl held optimal ability. Connie knew Pearl had the ability to read her opponents. This was nothing like the Jasper battle at all.

Pearl then jumped into the air with such grace as she summoned a multitude of spears in the sky, then threw them down at Steven while he brought up his shield again and had his head down while the spears collided and broke into pixels on impact. Pearl grinned as she dived down, rolling around behind Steven to take advantage of his open spot behind him. Not again.

"STEVEN WATCH OUT!" Connie cried.

Steven looked up, upon hearing her words as Pearl prepared to blast him. Steven shook his head and rolled around himself and threw the shield at Pearl's torso, sending the gem flying backwards and towards the edge of the platform, almost leaning over it. Steven watched as she got back up and summoned four giant holograms. In no way shape or form was that considered fair. Though, this was the Quartz Class training she claimed she learned about. He heard Connie gasp and Amethyst say something about Pearl not wanting to lose, made Steven wonder if she was losing her hold on her...perhaps, fragile mentality as she stood there with her knees inward and shaking and holding on to her spear so tightly, while tears ran down her face.

Amethyst wasn't wrong. Those were some tears of anguish. Tears he's cried before. Tears brought on by frustrations he's experienced. Tears Steven could empathize with. She gritted her teeth and had her holograms attack him all at once. Steven struggled, but only slightly, blocking and shielding where he could. Connie felt Garnet's hand squeeze her leg.

"Pearl stop!" Garnet called out.

It was too late. As the holograms disappeared, a small opening appeared as Pearl narrowed her spear too close and blasting him on the chest several times which sent him smack down onto the ground again with a grunt of pain escaping him. Amethyst hissed as Connie went to get up to check up on him, before Garnet pulled her back. Connie then sensed the air in the room changing, a familiar pink hue surrounding them. Steven struggled to get up as he growled. Pearl stood back, shocked at what she just did. Smoke rose from around his torso as he got back up, his eyes closed and standing up straight as a black mark appeared to burn on the right hand side of his chest. His face turned that of the same as when he faced Jasper. Calm, with the glowing veins appearing on his face, from the sides of his eyes and around his temples. His eyes shot open, revealing the hot flames that hid beneath his eyelids. Steven calmly approached the severally frightened Pearl, who stammered and sobbed as she tried to apologize. Silence grew between them as Steven stared her down, with Pearl quivering all the while. He grabbed the collar of her leotard and pulled her up off the ground with little effort.

"No more." He told her, his voice low and echoing on different layers.

He'd pulled a fist back and was prepared to smack her a new one. Pearl anticipated this as she winced. Come on Steven, you don't have to do this...it was an accident, he told himself.

"Okay, okay, you win. Steven....." She pleaded.

Observing the struggle he had to fight against his own whim, Connie witnessed Steven still his grip tightly as he continued to pierce his stare into Pearl, burning her from the inside. His rage brought about by how harshly she'd treated Connie, coupled with the piled up attacks against his confidence and worth as a half-breed. Right now he commanded the stage, leaving their audience in awe and in wonder of what could happen next. The spotlights on the Son of a Rose, the child of the beautiful warrior, calling on her legacy to fight that which he should be trying to trust. He trusted himself to try and restrain much of this...darkened rage within him. He's done this before, he's felt this before. He needed to know his way around himself first so he could attempt to control it, to listen and heed the voice in his head to tell him to stop and not the one telling him to crush her.

Eternity went by before he unceremoniously dropped her to the ground, which left Pearl on her knees, lurching and rubbing her neck as her head fell. Steven closed his eyes and took a deep breath in his battle to subdue his rage. It was an accident. It was an accident...

While his blood still felt like lava in his veins, it wasn't as bad as before. His face and eyes returned back to normal, then turned to look at Pearl. He was obviously much bigger than her but from where she was sitting he absolutely towered over her. Despite all that had transpired, Steven gave out a hand. He tried to appear neutral, with the flickering embers of his anger still festering, but holding onto the thoughts of how this could appear, he needed to be the bigger person (well, in metaphorical terms obviously) and to save face by trying to acknowledge that he did not wish to fight. His heart would but his mind made more sensible decisions as logic locked on and tried to steer his motions.

* * *

Pearl hesitated at first, staring at the singe she made on his chest. She didn't hate Steven. She wanted to. She wanted to destroy what he stood for, being there in the wake of possessing his mothers gems. She was told to prepare, an order gave like any other. Only Pearl wasn't prepared. She could never be. She was never ready for this.

She took his hand, a grip known to her as he helped her on her feet. The look in his eyes, looking deeper still. There was something there, more for what was intended. For what was known and what could be told. Did he know? Did he see? Could he understand what would eventually come for him? Training Connie, looking at Connie. Unable to apologize yet, still not ready for that. To where she could have prepared, Pearl didn't. It destroyed her more so, lying the drafts of the unseen winds following Rose's sacrifice. Is that what humans felt? Her mind went into the spiral of conflicts she's had for years. Following the pattern, following the dance like it did.

Is that what Rose wanted them to see?

Pearl could not say.

Still not ready for that.

He was the Rage Incarnate

That much was clear to her. To now realize that she needed to be ready more than ever. For none could know, for no one else could be as ready as she was for the inevitable.

But no one could see.

No one but she.

It'd been...centuries...millennia since then. It was hard to say how much time had passed. All the clocks were broken.

But then it was he.

He's not ready for that.

So now began the road, that long winding road once again, following the old trails, guiding the one to a destiny told, but not exactly written.

No one is ready for that.

But she was ready to accept.

Fate that had her intercept

Intervene, interplay.

That this Steven, this was what she was supposed to be prepared for. The comment that could shake the foundations of her own world alone, as what could be seen as a smile caught on unknowingly on his face after the moment of still silence had passed. There was the same warmth, the same care under new management. Even as he played around, with Connie, with Amethyst... there were the signs she just tried to ignore but in the end couldn't, forcing her to chip away at the amount of barriers she had constructed. She'd treated him like dirt and now, with the glimpse of hope written in his eyes, the smile that could save the world...too much to be pushed aside as she cried into his chest, while the others and Connie came around, with Amethyst rubbing her back, as did Garnet, with Connie coming up from behind Steven and putting her arms around his waist and embraced him from behind. So much potential that one.

It'd been so long since positive emotions flowed through her form. She was not left without scars and the battles were still to come. But here, with him. With them. With this. It reminded her of old times.

"You remind me so much of her. " Pearl said, her voice soft as she sobbed.

Steven put his arms around her.

It was nice.


	22. Sword

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven helps hunt down his mothers old blade.

Steven wasn't too keen on leaving their new sanctuary. Being in here for so long had him almost forget what it was like in the real world.

Before the Gems were sealed until Steven returned, Rose had them scouring the lands for old artifacts. Artifacts belong to both humans and Gems. Ancient relics that were worth preserving and maybe one that could help heal the world. Steven was keen to follow down that same path, no matter how long it could potentially take. 

Garnet would do some research and help scout a potential area for them to look at and for a few days, often weeks at a time, they'd scour an area for said relics and return them back for study. Worst case scenario had them just handing the junk to Amethyst for safe keeping.

One artifact Pearl wanted to scour for was Rose's old sword. After training sessions, Pearl would have both Steven and Connie sit out before her in the Courtyard and would tell them stories about his mothers heroics, fighting Warriors sent out by the Diamond Queens and Corrupted Ones caught in the cross fire. Pearl would put much emphasis on the tales of the Crystal Priestesses exploits which captivated and enraptured the pair with sparkles in their eyes as they heard about all the action and drama, holding Steven to a point that he found out how amazing she could really be...and wondered, if he could really measure up to her at all.

The five made the exodus, as Steven and Connie made all the preparations necessary to venture out into the dusty wastelands for the first time in weeks. It was odd, but they would never forget an entire life worth of skills in surviving the faded world as it was. But they weren't going to be alone. They were in a group now and it had Steven more excited than he was to be able to know that his work was now going to mean something, So much more than he would have anticipated. There was this legacy to continue and he was determined not to fail the Crystal Priestesses.

The change in temperature was the most notable going from the slight chill to the dry heat, albeit mild. The howling winds were akin to the old world saying hello, nice to see you again. Though Steven would very much not like to say hi back. The burning ghosts remained under their care, cutting his skin to the bone irregardless of how layered up he was. With a legacy came with the knowledge that it wasn't going to be easy, in having to pick up the remaining pieces left behind, no matter how sharp or dangerous they were. It was his job now to continue to push through, to go against the grain, to fight against all odds.

The sword itself was meant to be somewhere west within another Micro-Temple and it would be a few days walk to it. The gems rugged up in their own desert gear as well, complete with their faded colours to protect themselves from the harsh weather. Garnet had her burgundy, Amethyst her dark violet and Pearl her dark blue. They would make a single trail during sandstorms to ensure they wouldn't get lost by following Garnet's lead and trail. Pearl mentioned a lot of the Micro-Temples were actually stylized and based off something much older than either Gems or humans, which to Steven, surprised him that there was something else even out there. They were made by Gems themselves who took the temples of their own accord and abandoned many of them during the Human-Gem War; if they weren't destroyed outright.

Each night they would stop in either an old abandoned building, house or cave and by the fire they learned more and more history about Gems and humans. Steven could feel the sorrow, the heartbreak and the triumph drip from Pearl's every word, cuddling his Lion plush in the mean time as Connie sat next to him, smiling as well. The War was horrific however, with thousands, potentially millions lost in the ensuing chaos, fired out of charged hearts and minds with a weapon in their hands that hoped to carve their fate in the world the same way Steven had to. That everyone had to. Or else someone else would carves theirs instead...for better, or for worse.

A few days later on a still, dreay but otherwise calm day, another blue stone temple appeared in their wake, nestled in the banks of what would have been a river with tall dead trees around it. Pearl looked at the map they had and nodded, knowing they had finally arrived at the promised destination. Like they had come to expect upon approaching a temple, monster, orange shades of hue had attacked them in their relentless pursuit for destruction, a beast...a common beast with no eyes and a faded man and sharp teeth. Nothing new but still quite dangerous. Steven wanted to fight but Pearl stayed his shield, as they stripped off their desert gear with their magic to fight it on their own. It was a mystical display of team work, with Garnet using her raw strength to plant the beast down as Amethyst assisted her, wrapping her whip around its body to stop it from flailing and Pearl jumping into the air to stab it with her spear. With the poof, Pearl picked up the Gem and handed it to Steven, who crushed it and absorbed its essence into his gem like he normally did, although, he found it strange as to why he had to take the win instead of them sharing it. It didn't bother him too much, but it did weird him out a little. He was more disappointed he couldn't show off his skills, though they probably wanted to show him how they did things. He's dealt with monsters plenty of times, but Pearl could be overprotective...too overprotective.

Steven went first to the console to do his usual actions to open the Temple door, then ushered everyone inside. It'd been a while since they'd been to one of these and this one looked smaller than they remembered them to be. They examined the walls, finding it more decorated in carvings, pictures made of white lines, than any of the temples they had visited so far. The far back wall at the largest carving. The fabled sword of legend. Steven instinctively knew to hunt down the hidden panel that would allow him to find a way to the secret room. Connie eventually found it on the left wall and dragged Steven over to examine it. He nodded, and promptly put his hand on it. The back wall then rose up as well, while the ground rumbled until it was completely open.

All five of them stood next to each other with Steven and Garnet in the middle, with the former looking on in amazement as to how gigantic this room actually was. A pink light beamed down from above onto a circular dias platform in the middle and there, hovered the sword in place, so perfectly still, so perfectly presented in its sheen as it radiated power and elegance. Steven could feel its enlightened grace; from head to toe as a whimsical hum vibrating his nerves. In a sharp change of mind, he decided to explore the room on his own, ignoring the sword outright. The others surrounded the dias, examining the blade and making sure it was safe to take. The rest of the room was...much, well, contrasting to most of the other rooms the other temples had. The walls were a concrete beige, with vines that grew from the corners of the room. It smelt fresh...it smelt green. As Steven approached the walls, he was taken aback as pink flowers popped out as he passed by. He walked across as more of these pink flowers began to show up. He looked behind him, with the others still discussing the blade and not even noticing this strange, blooming phenomenon. 

He didn't know why he had suddenly lost interest in the weapon. It'd been something hinted as being great and had been in many battles and he himself was very excited and keen to find with all the hype surrounding it. An icon for the rebellion and a definite symbol for the Crystal Priestesses...not to mention a piece of his mother and himself, as well as his aforementioned legacy and destiny with the relic itself. It was his calling after all. So why this sudden lack of caring? This room was doing something to him, like it was sending signals to his brain, directing him to walk to the back wall. The flowers continued to grow in his presence, until he'd found himself standing in the middle. The signals told him to stand there and to explore and brush out the vines. He pushed them out of the way, revealing a large flower line carving behind it with a line in the shape of a star around it. It started to glow with the magenta hue as whispers were voiced into his head. Feminine, though he could not make them out. His own gem started to glow, then it started to get hotter and painful, causing Steven to grunt in response and hover his hand over it. The room went in and out of his sight, as the whispers got louder as he went to shut his eyes tightly to try to mentally tell them to stop.

Silence, upon the conscious command. Opening his eyes, called to vision a void of black with floating dusts of sparkling pink suddenly surrounded him, which caused a chill to run down his spine. The rectangular late with the flower symbol remained in sight. Three other slates surrounded it. The left most slate had a lightning bolt with a outline of a cloud, as it glowed yellow. The right had a picture of water drop with a moon, glowing blue....and the top most slate just had a picture of a sun with a star behind that as well, to where the lines were of a bright white.

They hovered in place as bright pink butterflies started to surround him as they chimed their songs, sweet light bell like tunes that had him turn around to see the sword on its own without the dias. Steven had only seen butterflies in books, namely in Connies book but had never thought he'd get to see them in his life time. They seemed like creatures of the past that were considered beautiful to look at, coming varieties of size and colour. He reached out with his hand, pointing his index finger as one landed on the tip. There was something so...divinely spiritual about, as his eyes were focused on its circular radiance as it slowly flapped its wings, albeit, in an odd case of Steven just imagining too much, it was like it stared at him with this pinpoint, but potent, flaming intensity. It promptly got up and flew around his head, which then turned to see that Connie and the other gems had disappeared as well, stabbing paranoia down his anxiety-clogged throat. The signal compelled him to walk towards it, with small blades of grass and other smaller flowers grew and died in seconds between each step he took, unbeknownst to him, due to Steven trapped down in this otherworldly trance...like a dream. A dream that had his mind bent on following the unspoken words of an unseen being. No whys were being asked and no hows. Light within the darkness and the darkness that contained the darkness, shielded off from the world that made sense. But there as no shield. Only the sword and the dozens of butterflies and what ever in this puzzling place decided to create its own sense of mind-bending logics. Like when the sword then moved on its own, spearing over Steven's to the slates themselves. Confused, Steven tilted his head. Okay so this sword had a mind of its own apparently?

A moment went by as the butterflies told...well, he'd come to accept that maybe it was _most_ likely the butterflies that were speaking to him, commanding him, controlling him and he just went with the flow as they directed him to. He just had no idea, no clue, no understanding of this odd magic or this odd realm. The sword went to the yellow glowing slate and cut it diagonally in half, revealing a yellow gem behind it. It did the same to the other four slates, revealing differently shaped gems of their respective colours of blue, white then pink. The butterflies took hold of Steven's hand, circling it up to his wrist, as others brought all four gems to him in some odd show of telekinetic abilities on their end. They forced him to scrunch his hand, shattering them all at once and sending the dust of their energies straight into Steven's Gem. Okay then. That was a thing now too. Psychic crushing of gems that is.

The butterflies then went and grabbed the sword as well, as they hovered the pointy end in front of Steven, who grew wary of their intentions. He stood back in fear of being threatened, raising his hands in a passive, defensive fashion with terror being written on his face, not once taking his eyes off the scary,suddenly sentient sword. What did it want, did it expect him to speak? Did it want him to do something? Next thing he knew, was the sword ramming itself into his gem...causing a briefly glimpse of vivid imagery. Eyes. Eyes of White, Yellow, Blue, Pink. Screams. Words he could scarcely understand. Fire. Fire on trees again? Why was it showing him this? He didn't understand as the pain intensified, his vision blurry and confused with the short, burst of light and other pictures going too quick for him to be able to cope with. Steven began to hyperventilate, as the whispers screeched into his ears, turning into nothing more that white noise. Until...

"Steven?"

Connie's call predated the jump cut into solid silence, but well into grounded reality again. He opened his eyes. The flower symbol on the wall was still there. He blinked twice to make sure reality wasn't lying to him again. He turned to see Connie carrying the sword itself. The other gems were staring at him with blank faces. His gut immediately started to churn as he raised his hand over his gem. He wasn't in any pain or agony...just...

"You just look like you saw a ghost." Amethyst commented.

White faced, he'd imagined. Burning Ghosts did that at times, not radiating, hatred filled pink butterflies.

He shook his head, forcing a smile on his lips to push past the confounding confusion riddling his thoughts once more. His eyes went to Pearl, who looked on with the slice of worry in her eyes. She was the one with the history. Steven wanted to ask but...

Steven let Connie carry the sword for now, given it was the one thing she'd wanted to have in the first place. Much to Pearls dismay but Garnet and Amethyst were chill about it.

They eventually began the trek home with Steven left trying to cleave into what he just saw.


	23. Eyes writing stories with teardrop ink, on thinking lines of doubt.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thinking a lot hurts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter dedicated to us over thinkers.

The way the mind backtracked constantly was both a blessing and curse. In this scenario, it was a force of gravity pulling him back and back again.

He could have asked Pearl but...

The experience was much more intimate to him than anything else and he really wanted to tell Connie but...

No one seemed to bat an eye or realize or question anything over what he just saw. Garnet might have suspected something, surely. Maybe. It did his head in. He kept to himself, thinking that it was irrelevant for now unless they wanted to bring it up. No one did, which was fine...since he needed time to process what he'd just seen anyway.

They got back to the main temple a few days later as Pearl studied the blade in her room for its authenticity. Surely something as grand as a sword like that wouldn't have its make or like being replicated anywhere. One day, he'd entered into her room as she continued to examine it closely as it rested on a hilt on the back on the table near a photo of his mother. Pearl had sat down on a white futon, her zone of zen apparent. Work that was too important for him to interrupt but..

It was her stare back at the temple which was a dead give away. One could read something, something old written in her eyes, but still quite fresh. Him giving it to her the other day had her cautious of his actions even more so, but he couldn't let her treat Connie like she did. She was a human, a tough one but even humans had their limits. They hadn't even seen...Stevonnie. Would they care about Steven? 

Tucking that aside for the moment, Steven left, unsure of what he should say or do. They were irrelevant for now as Steven had to sort this problem out for himself as his new priority.

* * *

In the weeks gone by came more missions spread across the eternal wastelands. Monsters, Temples and more relics. Rinse and repeat. It felt repetitive and each night, before he heard hear Connie's sweet, lullaby of slumber, his mind kept tracking back to the vision. He'd thought it'd go away eventually, forgetting it within time as it still was not brought up. Surely, someone had to jump start the conversation but Steven was too worried to bring it up for reasons unknown...maybe the pain of the phantom stabbing that him checking that his was gem okay. That he was okay.

The days turned as they did so it wasn't anything to be too concerned about, as he focused on the tangible progress they'd all made. Especially Connie. Connie had gotten better at combat and even tackled a few monsters on her own, which Steven was incredibly proud of and mentioned to Pearl that he'd like Connie to use his mothers sword since she'd be more capable than she. Pearl was of course shocked, but relented. In truth, Steven didn't even want to touch the sword or go near it, subconsciously afraid of it. He'd learned to put up a front in the mean time, shouldering the confusing knowledge, holding his inner concerns and letting them fester. He smiled like he did, pretending to save Connie's world with it in the mean time.

He couldn't do anything really and it had begun to hurt at times where the silence would have internal thinking patterns lead him astray. It was the first and last time he'd ever seen that odd symbol and not one piece of artifact or any kind of book mentioned anything to do with the symbol. Why was it there? It was telling him to do something with that string along signal. Telling him to think and to figure out what exactly he needed to do. What was it...his mind walked down that maze once again, opening doors of all sorts to find the true answer and only finding the painful, spiky traps along the way that only served to poison him with anxiety and tightened gut.

The only parts he could compare them to, once he connected the dots, were the gems that were there. They were Diamonds. So, obviously it had to do with the Diamond Queens themselves. White, Yellow, Blue and Pink. The Crystal Priestess were no match for their incredible, godlike powers. What was the point of gathering everything if they weren't able to well, deal with the actual issue at hand? Steven was a half-Quartz, a simple one at that. He'd be no match for the Diamond Queens either so why would his mother want to attempt to, well, destroy them? They were bad people, people who hurt the world and deserved the be punished, so...how could his mother figure out how to even deal with them to begin with? It was so complicated. Horrific to think about, in ways he did not want to envision, hut he did.

Was that the idea? Steven found himself in front of the mirror again right afterwards, just in his yellow shorts, and made small talk in his head. Begin that story again Steven, one more time. Two more times. Three more times. Five times a day. Six times a day. Ten times a day. Once an hour. Why was he born? Rose. Leader of the Rebels. Creates him to be the bond between Humans and Gems. He got that. An idea, noble, mythical...but dangerous, unpredictable in motion with all sorts of issues Steven could not sort through on his own, even if he desperately wanted to. It felt as hollow as the winds outside, trying to speak to him with words he couldn't translate. Too hard to think about. Set reminder for an hour, begin the script all over again. Let the body calm down for the moment, recharge so it could cope with the burning ghosts striking into his chest again. Scars would heal first, for the wounds to be opened again. Out of ear shot and out of eye sight of the others, of course. Couldn't let Connie down now he could he? Falling apart right in front of her again would be bad. So, up goes the shield. Up goes the smile until the next performance was ready and he'd go behind the curtains, preparing for the show of a life time. After all, he wrote his own script for himself. No one else. He'd have time to clean himself afterwards as well.

The world needed him right now in a way that was the most normal to them so Steven once he got dressed, he went to go speak with Garnet in her room, meditating alongside her and they talked about the other Crystal Priestesses and Acolytes that had served them in the past. Garnets stories would say they had come and gone and there were many, now that there were few and those remnants that weren't in the temple were most likely hiding away in the Compounds, too afraid to speak against the Queens, too afraid to have themselves shattered for being traitors. Terrifying to think about. Steven tried to take all in his stride...but...

Anger; the old friend; frustration; the other friend, had paired up and started at the base of his spine to raise against his nerves together. Fire at the bottom of his being, grew as Steven kept thinking back again and again and again to the others...to the other humans, the Acolytes, those who refused to step in line and were killed for their efforts. Again and again and again they had people lined up to be executed for the smallest of troubles. He didn't want to think about that. Not again...

Why did people have to die each day, while they were here, doing nothing but collecting junk and nothing for no apparent reason that treasure the relics of old. It was fun at first but Steven had grown tired of doing absolutely nothing and going absolutely nowhere with all...this...sitting around, thinking that this...had purpose. This had reason and it was meant to...heighten the mind. He'd forgotten how long it'd been since it'd he'd been on his own, fighting. Here he wasn't doing that. Why did it feel like there wasn't any progress? Because he was being lazy and falling into the trap of luxury that he couldn't share with anyone else but the small sect of people...

He took a deep breath, not wanting to scream...again and again and _again._..Steven wanted to perform but the script wasn't laid down like he wanted it to be.

A small sect of people who had fallen under the pretense of his mothers guidance. They meant well and were, of course, left picking up the pieces his mother left behind for them. They had to be just as directionless as he was. Garnet had only being doing what she had been told and what she had been taught. Pearl, Amethyst too. Under the idea what they doing had some kind of meaning. Steven didn't know the real meaning. He wasn't raised a priest. They had their own worries, he was sure. Their own little dance, their routine to manage without him ruining it. Connie had this down easier than he did, holding a much better relationship with Pearl nowadays. Steven was glad about that change at the very least. So what was his own worth here now? It's not that he didn't trust Connie with this and she'd seen what he was like when he couldn't keep everything under the rug. He just didn't want to burden her with it anymore with all the fantastic progress she'd made. He could have gone out to get find vanilla to help Amethyst bake that cake she's always wanted to bake, just in celebration. If only it meant him getting the full dose of reality on his own again, so he could remember where he started.

Though they'd made him the Priest of Courage and Harmony. He was the one who had to step up and make those changes happen. He'd expected Garnet, for what ever reason drove to think of it, to tell him he was ready. He wasn't it. He knew it. She knew it. It was to own Courage, Harmony as weapons of his trade;...the courage to stand and the harmony of the self to be able to be both impassioned and controlled to make do with what they had and it wasn't just to survive, but to be that pioneer for important change.

To change the world, to heal the world. Garnet looked at him, sensing his internal ire, his anguish...perhaps by looking at his tired, weary eyes that wanted to say much but refused to. To fall to the horrors, the ways of the spiraling thought trails that could lead you no where but the inner consternation of the heart, the soul. His body wanted to be encompassed in infinite inferno, to charge out, shout and just run forever and hoped the ashes of his spirit would be able to walk alongside the burning ghosts...then maybe he could finally understand them. 

A silly thought, a dumb idea all the same. Why was that a thing too? No matter what direction he wanted to go to, a word, a sound an image, his mind just kept heading back to the fires at the end of the flowing roads. But...the temple that soothed his soul. He felt..at ease in the greens and the flowers that popped up as he walked by. He didn't realize until now how calm, yet odd he felt being among such flora. The World of Before. That's how it really felt. That's what it was.

The world of the faded had taken it's toll, only serving to contrast the world of before, the world of colour for how glorious it actually was. To see, to feel...to smell, to taste and to feel the chilling power of the fresh air in his lungs for real.

Did his mother want him to actually experience what it was like? Heh...how far down his his line of thought actually go to come up with that idea to begin with? Maybe it'd been there, with his subconscious making its way over time, eventually arriving at its destination.

"Mom never told you how we're going to defeat the Diamond Queens, did she?" He asked her.

Garnet lowered her head.

"No." She answered bluntly.

"Every bit we find brings us closer."

How could she really know that?

Then again, how did Steven know what was shown to him was supposed to make sense to him at some point? Now would be the perfect time tell her. He didn't want to, but he needed to. Someone just has to be able to just...be able to curate an answer, any answer. A filter of ideas, constructs his feeble mind could just not create. Another deep breath.

"I saw something at the Temple." He did, exhaling loudly.

"A vision, from when we grabbed the sword."

He told her about the butterflies, the slates and the symbols, which had her processing all the detail in her head in a more stern, well adjusted manner.

"You didn't tell this us a few weeks ago." She scolded, although while her tone did not rise, Steven could still feel the sting in the bare neutral vibes.

"Because...I didn't know it'd be important.' He stammered. He did the research...so he'd come to the conclusion that nothing of the sort existed.

"I...none of the books had anything...none of the relics had anything...I thought I was going crazy..."

Garnet lowered her head. Crazy. Crazy to overthink, crazy to think of what could have been, what should have been. He could have done, what he should have done. Those dancing light bulbs that would be popped and instantly replaced. Steven did not like the sound of the glass breaking...it happened a lot.

"You're not crazy Steven." She told him.

Rage returned in a huge spike.

"I'm...I'm not crazy...no no.." He said, fake laughing and barely able to contain himself, with his voice rising in a crescendo, with the boiling bubbles threatening to surface.

'I just...I just don't...understand....anything. Am I stupid, Garnet?"

Garnet looked away.

"You are not stupid Steven."

Tears fell from his eyes at a rapid rate. His mind raced around in the figure eights again as he looked at his hands. He fought, he did what he was asked to do. Eyes of Kiki. Eyes of the Boy in the Arena. Eyes of Jasper...rising out of the fire, rising out something that told him that this was going on for sheer reason...sheer selfishness, sheer fear, sheer confusion...such intensities of emotion roiled and swelled in crashing waves as eyes of another came to him. The flower symbol. They were connected to the flower symbol, embedded into his brain as the whispers returned to him.

The lid came off as he pushed Garnet to the ground and knocked off her visor, peering into her three eyes...one of Blue, one of Red and one of Purple.

Steven had never seen her eyes before. Rage forced his hands to pin down Garnets arms down to the ground as hard as he could, though she showed no fear, no worry. Still..serene...all her eyes...unreadable. But at the same time, did not take them off of him, watching his every move and his every struggle as his body shook underneath its own self-inflicted torment. His tears fell on to her stoic, flawlessly restrained face while his voice cracked under his overly distressed state.

"How are we supposed to do this? How am_ I_ supposed to do this? I didn't want any of this to happen. I didn't want Kiki to die because of _me_. I didn't want dad to get hurt because of _me_...I didn't want Connie to be brought into this mess because of _me_...I DIDN'T ASK TO BE MADE _JUST_ SO I COULD HURT ANOTHER BEING? WHY DID MOM THINK, I COULD DO THIS FOR HER?"

He didn't know...he was told how but was never told why...the real reason. All of the bad things that happened, all of the horrible feelings he's had...the slamming of Connie into the ground because of a stupid nightmare, Jasper's punishment as he punched her and how he almost hurt Pearl too. 

"I don't know Steven." Garnet replied, her voice low and unburdened with any emotion inflection, seemingly unaffected by Steven's rampage, who poured everything he could into this beastly roar, with a power that could shred lesser creatures.

"YOU KNEW HER, YOU GOT TO KNOW HER GARNET! I DIDN'T...."

Steven sat back in near instant snap, his manner falling into that vortex of regret, withdrawing everything into it as he instantly felt like a small child. He was doing it again. Garnet didn't deserve this. He figured this part out already. Garnet was another cog in the chain. He sat up and got off of Garnet and begun to hyper-ventilate again, on his knees, begging for the pain in his chest to go away as he dug his fingers into his scalp. Garnet got up, slowly and just stared at him. He had to stop being like this. Being the monster. Being this absolutely horrible mess of unforgiving emotions that tore down every shield he'd put up. No. Not a shield. His fence...to contain his own stuffed up self.

His eyes were filled with this torment she'd suspected he'd been holding to himself for some time. She suspected, that he knew something ever since they had come from from the Sword Temple and foresaw that he would eventually tell her about it. But she didn't see this. His rage, baring his fangs and blood shot eyes. She hadn't the heart to tell him that his mother had the same problem too. No one did. No one could say anything out of sheer fear of what she could do...what Steven could do. No one outside their knew why she was like, when most of the time Rose was seen as a respectable leader with a respectable cause. Seeing Steven react to Pearl like she did brought back a lot of the older memories. History repeating itself, as it did.

Pearl had theories. Amethyst had theories. Garnet had theories. Nothing solid. And just like Rose, Steven repressed everything. 

And he was half-human.

He had to feel a thousand times worse.

"I'm made up to be some important person..." Steven continued as he went limp as he slouched with a fallen head, with the only movement coming from his lips.

"Did mom intentionally pass all her problems to me? So she wouldn't have to deal with them anymore?"

That was a possibility, but Garnet did not think that to be the case at all. She didn't know the whole story when it came to her repeated visits to the Compound. Only educated guesses. She sat up and sat back next to Steven and allowed him to fall into her lap, resting his head on her knees.

"Your mother...made a lot of difficult choices." She replied, while gently rubbing his face.

"You...will make a lot of difficult choices."

That much was certain.

"But..." He sniffed.

"What is a choice that will matter?"

Matter of what he could do next. All they were instructed to do was to continue on with Rose's work. Steven had improved in his skills significantly and he certainly did make life...a better for the Crystal Priestesses. Amethyst took to him the quickest. Pearl took a while and Garnet herself held the power to help bend the future to their purpose. To help them survive, to research, to believe that there ways to make this world a better place for everyone. While Rose's decision to have Steven on the surface was indeed a sacrifice that would help with finding a way, Garnet did see..something different, though, she could never read Rose properly under her cheery, confident manner.

"You've traveled this world and know what it's like." Garnet explained.

"This is world of desperate need of healing...and you've shown that you can do that."

His healing powers, inherited from his mother.

"But now you know. You have a new goal, a new perspective the Crystal Priestesses could look for. That symbol. No one else has seen it. It's definitely worth investigating."

Steven's eyes widened.

"Really?" He croaked, sitting up instantly.

Garnet smiled. A change of spirit, knowing that even the smallest bit of information can help. The two hugged briefly, knowing he needed it badly...and so did she, taking in his warmth as she took in his like they did it all the time. She then adjusted her visor as she had Steven, who was more than eager, draw down the symbols that he saw on four sheets of paper and was surprised on vivid the pictures were on his mind, weeks on. He must have held it so close and was not able to understand what to do with what he saw. The Sword was simply something to claim...it was more relevant at the time than the vision or the symbol. He didn't have to be afraid of telling them anything. He apologized for hurting her and that he wanted so hard to control his rage. Which made it imperative for Garnet to help him further with his meditations, to clear his mind of unkempt, messy, noisy, violent thoughts...or at least, learn how to manage them. It would take time and it would take effort, but Steven had to want to heal himself to make it worth something. He wanted to make it worth something. He wanted to protect them. Just like Rose.

They'd set a schedule, for allowing Steven to come in on a daily basis just like his training, but to resume a more relaxing version of training. Visions had come to Rose too. Unusual for a Quartz, but it was through that the Crystal Priestesses were formed, so Garnet had followed the only vision she couldn't see and it barely steered the room and with her in the picture, made some of their exploits a lot easier to deal with. Now Steven was here, with those same visions. Again, unusual for a Quartz but she'd followed his lead.

At the end, Garnet told Steven go see Connie now, relax with her and be with her. Connie's potential had yet to be reached and Garnet did foresee her special nature and without telling Connie herself, silently entrusted her to Steven's care, seemingly impressed with her skill just as much and the love she had for Steven and Steven had for her was a part Garnet wanted to help develop...in due time. Unusually connecting two and two herself, she used her Future Vision briefly to see any possibilities in seeing the symbols again. She saw two dark-skinned individuals in what appeared to be a small, Empire-owned Tower somewhere to the north of the Temple. Humans. Markless. Connie was required. 

That was their next mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This definitely had more dialogue than intended.


	24. Maheswaran

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hunt for Connies parents begins.

She'd known Steven been on edge for a while. He was like that. He knew Connie would be there for him in a heartbeat. To break him out of his bind. She knew Steven would be there for her in heartbeat. To break her out of her bind.

A cycle of making sure the other did not go too far. A crazy world, a faded world that stacked the odds against them. Mentally. Physically. Distant. Close. Shadows behind them, shadows beneath them. To be the shadow of the other, to remind one that the other existed.

For the longest in her eighteen years, were that she was the shadow of her mother and father. The Shadow before them, the shadow in front of them. Hiding away, where the lights of the world could not show them to her. To be the shadow that never existed and yet, was highly protected. They did not want her to see the horrors, the broken, the wrongness of the world of now compared of the world of before. They would never explain everything to her under the conditions that she was never really ready to be projected against or compared to.

She was content in the ways her parents handled matters. They fed her, clothed her, kept her warm, cuddled her. The things parents are meant to provide for a growing child, especially in a world like this. It was routine Connie grew up with so she was used to it...having be born in the world as it was not really knowing any better. To be here, within the safety of the temple still felt so...foreign to her. It was beautiful and Connie refused to take it for granted. Though, when Steven refused to have Pearl train her the way she had been, bringing furore in the way that the gem handled it all. Connie didn't like it either, but a bit of suffering was worth the effort so others didn't have to suffer in the end. So Connie could become stronger.

Like her mom and dad. They, each others shadow, shadow of the other. To not be lead astray, to fulfill the need of trust and to not forget. To not forget how to share, how to care, that life wasn't the same sandy, dirty, dusty hills and plains and caves. There was colour in the faded world. You didn't have to see it. You had to know it. Connie had to admit to herself she clung to Steven because the colours were there, written his eyes, his smile, his touch...his laugh. It made sense, it gave clarity...the erasure of loneliness in a place so blurred you might as well believed you were walking in an endless dream.

According to Garnet, there was some semblance of hope on the horizon. After what felt like months since she'd last seen them, Connie found herself in a state of anticipation, the answer to the question she'd asked herself constantly. The description, the flower symbol. A tower to the far north. Two individuals, locked away. It had to be them. It just had to be. She urged Garnet to go there and search for them and to even test out the sword since she'd been training so hard that she was skilled enough to use it.

Talking it over with Amethyst, Pearl and of course Steven, they made plans to travel to the north. 

* * *

It took them at least an entire week to get there, as questions were made to Connie about her parents and what they often did. They survived day to day, leaving Connie in a safe place while they went out into the open. Pearl wondered if they were the ones Rose had found one day in the past. Acolytes. Though, they had a very important mission that Pearl could say would serve a purpose in the end. Connie wasn't told of this purpose they had but...the only thing that they had was the book left behind. The book of multiple drawings of different things. The Temples...the Temple of Obsidian. Pearl instantly recognized it and wondered why Connie never showed them this before. It hadn't been that relevant, thinking it to be only an object her parents had found on their travels that detailed the world around them.

In actuality it was made by another Acolyte that served the Crystal Priestesses in the past and perhaps that her parents inherited it from the previous owners as well. Which meant that it had been kept safe all these years, reminding generations of humanity that they could preserver in this broken world if they really, truly knew what they were fighting for. 

Going through the grime, the dirt, the dust and the sand, the group eventually saw the distant white tower sitting in the middle of a huge crater, riddled with thorn like spikes. They hid behind a rock as Garnet scanned it. Several Quartz Warriors protected it but Garnet was certain that Connie's parents would be in there.

When asked what possibly could they doing to her mom and dad, Pearl had mentioned that they're most likely being interrogated, as outsiders; or the markless were one of their priorities, simply associating any of them, whether or not they had been previously associated with the Priestess, as rebels, traitors and/or runaways that have some 'spawned' like they were some kind of hyper-breeding animals. That's how Gems viewed humans, anyway.

Garnet had a plan, however. The Quartz Warriors down there would sooner raise the alarm if they saw any of them, as she pointed towards the other small, thinner white structure, four in number, that gave off a light from a yellow, floating crystalline stone. One of the Quartz Warriors threw a rock near one for giggles, which then the construct blasted the rock into smithereens. 

They would need to take down the defenses first before they could get inside. Pearl and Amethyst looked at one another and nodded. Connie was left confused, as Garnet smiled, while Steven was left wondering as well. The two had begun to dance, though they had different styles, but matched their rhythms in a weird way that oddly worked, as they took each others hands and bloomed in a wild flash of light. Out came a tall figure with an extra set of arms and long, long hair in a high ponytail. They had semblances of both Amethyst and Pearls looks but otherwise it had Steven excited, going from how starry eyed he was right now. Fusion. Of course.

The fusion itself summoned both Pearls spear and Amethyst's whip and fused them both onto a bow. Garnet then touched Connie's shoulder and nudged her head towards them, wanting to show her how they handle sticky situations. With such grace with rigid movements that also flowed nicely, the fusion; Opal as Garnet called her, leaped into the air and with her own dance, fired off a series of light arrows into the crystalline stones one by one, which then exploded into a shroud of smoke. Garnet moved quicker than Connie anticipated as she ran down into the fray and towards the confused Warriors down below. Connie heard them poof, one by one. The coast was clear.

The five of them approached the big yellow door, to where Garnet had to break it down with her gauntlet, sending dust and debris everywhere.

Inside looked empty but filled to the brim with Gem tech and varying hues of yellow. The marble tiled floor, walls with drapes and the spiraling stair case to the top. Going from how much Connie got used to the design of the Temple, this wasn't too farfetch'd. She didn't even think about it for too long, as she'd ran up the stairs, not paying attention to how Steven and the Gems are calling her name.

Connie didn't care. She had the sword with her now and she was going to use it against anyone who dared to stop her. Pearl's training prepared her for this. Prepared her for the inevitability to finally have humanity fight back after all this time. She had to own this, own this strength and to spread fear and terror against her enemies if they dared to underestimate the one human. Seeing Steven try and defend her from Pearl's horrid training methods did have Connie realize that yes, perhaps she did go overboard but she was doing it for a reason. Gems were naturally strong. So Connie had to train to be stronger, more cunning and independent, while still trying to protect Steven's honour and magical destiny at play. To be his shadow.

For now, this was her destiny. Her parents were alive and it was going to be great.

She'd made it to the top, finding two...non-Quartz Warriors at the door. They didn't look like Quartz Warriors due to how regal their silver-sheen armor looked. Squarish, yellow ones with their gems on their left and right ears respectively. They both saw Connie and promptly summoned their weapons, pulling them out of their gems. Big maces but Connie held no fear close to her chest; only determination.

She rushed in first, dodging and weaving the bulky soldiers. Their combat methods however were nothing like a Warriors. More controlled, more balanced and less aggressive. Pearl's training helped with that, since her combat style was very similar. She kept up, but barely with the defensive blows, gritting her teeth, growling and maneuvering like a dancer. The way that Pearl wanted her to dance. She'd managed to get one of the the yellow soldiers to the ground with a heavy thump and was prepared to strike to poof them, until her body froze. It wasn't anything in her control, like her bones snapped in place and her nerves suddenly going cold.

Her eyes looked towards the sounds of fluttering wings, seeing a small azure creature floating nearby with a small, blue wand in their hand. She looked at Connie with disappointment, giving off the chill of the smug, the arrogant.

"Tsk tsk, Topaz and Topaz; I expected more out of you both. Do I have to take care of everything myself?" She said.

Connie sneered, incredibly annoyed more than anything, with this inescapable barrier that she so desperately wanted to break through. She flew over to to Connie, examining her like some kind of test subject, checking the back of her neck, much to Connie's consternation.

"A Markless? In our humble abode? Another mark to the tally then!" 

It wasn't until the others had finally caught up, as the gem was forced to fly away, dodging one of Pearl's spears that zoomed on by, breaking her hold on Connie. 

"Aquamarine...should have known." Pearl commented with clear disdain.

Steven helped Connie off of the floor, while the others tried to fight them off. Connie herself could only watch as the Priestesses fought off not only Aquamarine, but the Topaz Soldiers as well. Steven summoned his shield and tended to Connie herself.

Again. Again with this...ambition, this desire to prove herself in front of these super-powered beings only to have to fall flat in front of her. They were amazing...and she was not. She was keen on trying to free her parents, her heart took over, blinding all other instincts and realizing how stupid she was to try and fight on her own. She expected Steven...she expected the Gems to chastise her for ignoring the lessons. Connie wasn't stupid...just...her passions lead her doing stupid things. Wouldn't be the first time. 

It was then Steven took Connie to the large, mechanical doors as the Gems fought, frantically trying to open it. Steven had his fingers wedged in the middle while Connie went to find a nearby panel to try and open it herself. More Gem Tech, although a bit of an odd design compared to what she was used to seeing at the temples. Connie felt the sweats, trying to figure out something she had no clue in, then looked over with widened eyes as Steven appeared to have been succeeding...pushing the doors out wide enough to fit people through. His immense strength was well known to her, but his strain couldn't last forever as he shook violently, with the grinding of metal and gears clanking around him. His eyes were shut tightly, teeth baring as he continued to push the doors outwards as grunts escaped his throat.

Connie looked over to see the Gems continuing to fight. If Connie was going to be useful, it would be to help the others with their fight. Or at least...be more practical.

She whistled to the three and gestured them to Steven who was putting all of his will power to keep the doors open. The three noticed, nodding in sync before Garnet ended up punching Aquamarine in the face; sending her flying smack against the nearby wall. before all three fleeted through the doors. Connie followed suit, then Garnet dragged Steven through the doors before he lost his grip.

The doors then slammed shut, with accompanying thumps done by the Topaz's maces. Pearl,mbeing paranoid, ran over to the opposing console and triple checked to make sure the doors were locked shut. Amethyst made sure Steven was okay as he was left gasping on all fours, trying to get his breath back. The doors themselves must have weighed an incredible amount to have him react like that. All thought of that, however, was changed as Connie turned to see what was before them, leaving her eyes even wider than ever.

The rooms were of goldenrod hues and bright lights on rubber dull yellow flooring. Two dark individuals, a man and a woman separated on their own gurneys, strapped in place with black belts. Their eyes were shut and their bodies looked worse for wear, their clothes torn and their faces bruised and battered and an interesting flower symbol listed on their black robes.

Connie felt the ripple of intense emotions hit her like a stone hitting water, running towards them in a hurry to get them out of their confines. She fretted, she panicked and she wanted them to wake up. 

"Mom! Dad!" Connie cried.

The emotional waves kept hitting her with their harsh breaks, making her nerves feel like that a current of electricity running through them that she was shaking too much her to notice how much she struggled with the clasps that held them down. She didn't even notice, how Steven came around to help out as well, a bit more calm in his actions as his concerned eyes darted up and down towards her and the clasp he was working on. They tended to her mother first, then went to her father.

Connie kept tapping their cheeks and shaking their shoulders, wanting them to just open their eyes and say hello. Anything really. Why weren't they waking up?

Amethyst had noticed a table full of instruments and syringes, raising an eyebrow at what in the world Aquamarine was doing to them.

"They're knocked out cold." Garnet commented as she felt their pulses.

"We need to get them back to the Temple."

Good idea. Though, unfortunately, the couldn't come out the way they came in. Amethyst then started looking around the room. While it was well let, there didn't appear to be any other exit besides the way they came in. The new plan came to mind quite quickly as no other choice could be made.

Pearl would open the door first as Garnet and Amethyst were prepared to fight, as was Connie. Steven picked up both of Connie's parents and had them on both of his shoulders. Connie owed him many things but she could think something later. Pearl would give the silent signal with her fingers.

Three...

Two..

One.

The doors slid outwards as hydraulics hissed as the the Two Topaz appeared in front of them, almost scaring the hell out of Connie who gasped. Amethyst threw her whip towards the recovered Aquamarine who dodged, but this still allowed Steven to bolt out as fast as he could, running downstairs and making sure the two humans weren't gonna fall off of him. Connie soon followed, as the three Gems tried keeping the others at bay until they were to the bottom.

Connie felt many things. Scared, excited, happy. Such powerful forces mixed with the adrenaline that kept her going that everything around her became a blur...

* * *

It took them a while, but they did it. It seemed like it was all over, but deep down Connie knew that it was far from it. She had so many questions but for now she reaped in the rewards of their efforts. They'd gone home, with her parents still out cold due to some kind of serum that was injected into them. One of the queries that dug deeply in Connie's psyche was, what did they really want with her parents? She had originally believed though she didn't want to believe it, that they were simply killed by horrible monsters. Close calls were had in the past, but they would skim through them which had the doubt in there to reign in on those internal subconscious claims. 

Once they had returned back to the Temple of Obsidian Pearl had them relax in her room, laying them down on grey slates and made sure that they were comfortable, putting cloud blue blankets over their still, cold bodies after to her tending to their wounds. Pearl had Amethyst conjure up some potions herself while they made a proper diagnosis with their statuses. As it turned out, Amethyst did more than cook; she also had skills in the ancient way of Magic Mixtures, an old and almost forgotten arte that Gems once could create before the Unforgiving Sin occurred. A lot of the books kept in her room were older Era One texts meant to help both Humanity and Gem kind.

It was then Pearl asked Connie more questions about her parents. Connie didn't really know too much, except for the labels her parents had given her. Their secondary title of Maheswaran.

Pearl instantly recognized the title going on how far her eyes widened, but did not speak further. Connie honestly, just was never told about what her parents actually did. Why they would never tell her...perhaps now would be her chance.

Amethyst soon came back with some green liquid in a bottle as she carefully poured it in their mouths one by one. Connie was beside herself, watching, waiting...her heart beating quicker and quicker. Colour soon returned to their faces; a twitch of the nose or the the hand. Signs of life. Signs of hope.

The pair sat up, groaning about where they were. Connie couldn't help but hug them both, which had them take a second to realize that their daughter was with them, eyes sparkling under the revelations born from it. Joy, a rarity in the findings of the dead world. Priyanka, Doug. The Maheswaran Markless.

Once pleasantries were done, Connie made sure the pair were comfortable in their new surroundings and requested Amethyst to get them food. They had to be famished. Steven was no where to be seen however, as Pearl told Connie he was busy with Garnet but would join them in the Courtyard after dinner. They noted how beautiful this place was in comparison to everything else they had seen and were thankful for the opportunity to explore this wonder that they had been searching for all their lives and now were able to proceed with their work properly...what ever that meant.

It was strange, after all this time, Connie was under the impression that they would have changed, but...they were the same. Protective over Connie, wary about all of these strangers they found themselves in the company with. It took a bit of convincing to let them know they could trust the Gems, knowing their goal was the same. It wasn't until much later that Connie had realized that Steven hadn't spoken to them once and wanted him to meet them.

Once dinner was done, they all met in the Courtyard as Connie ran to Garnet's room to get the pair ready to talk properly. He could see the two meditating...which they had been doing since they got back. Connie could somehow sense something was up, but couldn't verify anything. She'd called them out from the entrance, to where they both nodded in sync and went out.

It was then Steven saw them sitting there in their robes, talking to one another. Connie took hold of his hand and dragged him over, eager for them to meet. Priyanka and Doug had been sitting on a nearby bench by the waterfalls, who's eyes looked up at the tall man. He waved awkwardly, as they gave him a once over.

"Mom, Dad. This is Steven." She introduced with a grin.

Doug got up and lent out his hand as Steven looked down, hesitating for the moment before giving a handshake, then was surprised as Doug put his other hand on top.

"Thank you for looking after our daughter." Doug said with a small smile.

Most of Steven's concerns had his mind all over the place. It wasn't the fact that he was meeting her parents, but it was...something that ate at him constantly, ever since Garnet's vision came to light. Steven had this desire to dig through their connections to the flower symbol, trying to not look at it sown into their clothes. Meditating with Garnet only served to ask questions, but he let Connie spend so much needed time with her family, knowing how important the whole ordeal was to her. Yes she was a bit overzealous before hand but who could blame her? He'd do the same if it was his own fathers life on the line. But now...

"Yes thank you." Priyanka continued.

"I must admit, that it is fate that we have finally gotten the chance to meet you. We need to talk."

Fate? What did they know?

They were about to find out.


	25. Precursor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Co find out the true history of the planet.

There was something both heartwarming and sad about Connie's reunion with her parents.

It'd been months since she'd last seen them and that hope returned to her once more, as they reunited in a way that served to both torment Steven and be happy for Connie, reminding him that he still needed to get back and figure out what happened to his own father. Priorities had shifted, in turn that they needed to figure out what the Maheswarans knew about the current situation. The pair weren't imposing, but Steven like he needed to be incredibly cautious, since they were, indeed the forebears of his love, demanding a version of respect on their terms. They'd talked in the Courtyard, where they'd revealed disturbing information that surprised the Gems as well.

The Maheswarans were the last of the worshippers of Gaia; a forgotten Precursor God of Old. They'd descended from a long line of Gaian Knights, loyal servants imbued with the virtues of the God itself. Courage, strength and the like.

Their travels had them collecting old artifacts and researching ancient texts and tomes, having being tasked this from their hidden village, but they had gone on their mission for so long that they happened to have Connie along the way. When questioned why Connie wasn't told, it'd be because they had planned to, but were busy debating on when to tell her and were more worried for her safety and well-being as soon as she was out of ear shot. Steven couldn't help but look at the focused Connie, whom be taking it in quite harshly. Steven's mind, however, kept calling on this...Gaia. This God that no one else had heard about.

"We'd been handed down this task by our superiors...until we got caught by Quartz Warriors and interrogated." Doug mentioned.

"But we're normally under oath not to divulge anything to anyone under the Empire's name. But...the one group that my superiors mentioned...the Crystal Priestesses...we've been hunting you down for so long."

This had to have gone on for months;years... Steven was impressed with their gall; their unwillingness to divulge secrets. Until now. Priyanka looked around, perplexed by something.

"We're after Rose Quartz; your leader. Where is she?" She questioned.

Steven swallowed, feeling incredibly awkward in regards to the request. How could he explain any of this to them? How she died to create him? Garnet had stepped forward in that sense.

"She is no longer with us." Garnet announced, her tone neutral as always.

"But she has been replaced by her son, Steven."

Fear struck nerve as attention was brought to him, with his anxiety pilling into his throat once more.

"A hybrid? We weren't told to look for one." Doug said with surprise.

"It matters not." Said Priyanka as she drilled her eyes into him.

"The information requested pertains to years of rummaging through ruins not visited in for hundreds of years and we've come to a possible solution, where the Crystal Priestess, whom ever they were to be, would hear us out."

Solution?

Priyanka further explained that Gaia was not the only Old God in existence. There were three others Psyche, Tempastas and Miseria. While these Maheswarans were descendants of the Knights, they were also made aware of the balances required for the other Old Gods to lay claim to the worlds well-being. The other Gems seemed to debate on this and whether or not it had to do with the Unforgiving Sin remained to be seen. Pearl made note that it was highly likely for the Diamond Queens to try and erase all knowledge of the Old Gods, which is why they had barely seen any of it previously.

It had Steven thinking long and hard about all of this. Coupled with what Pearl had suggested had theorize much, especially given from what they were already told about the Unforgiving Sin. Sacrifice, offer...

"We had found an old ruin before we got captured and discovered that each of the Gods had old relics." Priyanka explained.

"Each God had a weapon gifted to their greatest Champion. For Gaia, they had a weapon known as the Rage of Gaia. Psyche; had the Light of Psyche, Tempastas; the Fury of Tempastas and Miseria had the Weeper of Miseria. Each with their own individual icons."

This had to the symbols Steven had to have seen in his vision. Realization hit him harder than anticipated.

"The Sword." Steven mentioned.

"The Rage of Gaia...it's Mom's sword."

It took Connie a moment, as she ran into the bedroom and came out with it, with Priyanka and Doug looking on amazement as Connie demonstrated and wanted them to check it out. They couldn't however, finding themselves on their knees and praying towards the sword itself, obviously coming across as more sacred than they had originally envisioned it to be, which is odd considering his mother once wielded it. Maybe borrowed it for the time being to figure out what they had to do.

"Worthiness is not ours to be in the presence of a Precursor Relic." Doug murmured, holding his hands together in prayer.

Which had them to try and figure out what it meant, which required Steven to dig in deeper into the meaning itself. What was his mother trying to do? It still raised more questions, than answers. But...what was made clearer, was they needed the other relics. The solution being perhaps acquiring the powers of the Old Gods themselves, which the Maheswarans had come to the same conclusions, in order to defeat the Diamond Queens.

* * *

The Gems had prepared a separate room in case any other humans were prepared to stay at the Temple as required. A room past the dining hall held a large refuge, filled with spare beds and the like, to where Doug and Priyanka were okay to preside. Steven continued to let Connie be with them for now, since he figured they still had a lot to talk about.

It was too coincidental, with these visions of the Old Gods parading his mind like an itch that needed to be scratched. He had this, sword...the Rage of Gaia laid out on the coffee table in his room, while he sat on the couch, leaned over with his hands together, mouth behind them as he filtered through troubling and confusing thoughts and ideas. Using this...to destroy the Diamond Queens and to end their rule of terror so that humans..and perhaps Gems that did not agree with this age of tyranny could find some kind of peace.

Stealing the power of the Gods which made them angry and curse the world for the sins committed upon them seemed like the reason for the way the world was and that his mother was indeed, trying to find a way to appease them. These...Gaian Knights, were definitely a reclusive sort, having to find their way on empty lands to find empty secrets. Then being stormed upon finding an important aspect. Steven closed his eyes, trying to focus on what the other weapons could be.

The Lighting Bolt, the Drop and the Sun. 

Steven's main priority would be to take down Queen Pink first, freeing his people from their miserable existence. To inspire an uproar and to take back what was rightfully theirs. For now, he wanted to focus on obtaining the other weapons. And the part he had to play in it all.


	26. Waters of Misery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hunt for the next weapon begins.

The luminous Queen Blue Diamond. Owner of the the Third Compound.

Steven knew little about her, other than knowing that pompous expression and divine beauty that somehow commanded the Gems around her. Such poise. Such elegance and yet, her aura brought on nothing but misery. 

Study went into her weapon; the Weeper of Miseria. They were uncertain of what it was or what it looked like. Lucky for Steven, the Maheswarans had tracked down a location to the East, with according to the data they had collected, it sat in an old grove protected by the Undertakers of Miseria. Similar to the Knights of Gaia, they were said to be descendants of the Old God Worshippers, though it was unsaid if any of them had survived to this day and age. It wouldn't matter. Steven would go and collect the weapon anyway. Blue was just a Diamond Queen... evil...dark...contemplative and in the old rumors preferred to torture people for information, before she killed them.

All Steven could remember was that day in the arena. All called upon the memories of the shrilling cascade chaos and eyes that were burning with contempt underneath the bittersweet vision of entertainment. He had the desire to go on his own, as his thoughts drowned into this state where they couldn't breath or speak without bringing up the bubble of an idea that couldn't be popped, having Steven tried his hardest filter out the premise as much as he could, but failed consistently.

To chase those troubling thoughts down without anyone knowing. He had to. He needed to. He trusted Connie. He wanted to trust the Gems but...no. There was a nagging voice coming from his heart that pushed it so much into his chest that it ached to escape but he had to suppress it, until he knew for absolute certain what this bubble contained and why it had bothered him so. He wanted to go on his own but Connie insisted on coming along. This was not her burden, but...

He was busy packing his bags as Connie was packing hers. She was only human. Human in this world of the unknown and of the dangerous, the powerful. For the one thing that kept her going was her pride and while she was formidable and she could absolutely take on other humans and certain gems, he never liked her getting hurt. He could heal her, no issue but. It was beginning to worry him more so. Whether or not it was had to do with the opaque bubble of an idea unseen in his head or not; Connie had to be protected. She had just got her parents back and Steven felt like she should be helping them, not him.

The mind tricked itself into the thinking into the miserable ends of entrusted doubt, calling on desired actions to protect what needed to be protected. His eyes constantly went back and forth on the pink lion and the purple bear plushies on the bed, having him perceive them as people, imagining that they were talking to each other and wondering if that what they were doing was right. They were moved to the couch...he didn't need to hear their arguments right now.

Right? Wrong? The Diamond Queens had to go. They were the source of all that was wrong with the World. That much was certain.

They were to head out the next day, as Steven laid on the bed, his eyes crawling on the pink ceiling above as he laid his arms and legs out. Connie soon joined him and gave him a quick smile. Steven turned his head to her and smiled back. A wash of yearning overcame him, as it did from time to time.

His heart ached consistently but in a good way. His eyes came to meet up with her own like the strike of midnight, turning pages into the obscurity of his faded tracings, bringing new dawns to his heart upon such simple glances that told him that he should be confident in Connie. He shouldn't doubt her. Without her there, his situation may not have ended up like it was. So he did have a lot to be thankful for. For her to be that one piece of reality he could always touch base with.

The demonstrations of his concerns could not be shown, although Connie would not be fooled. Time and time again; they would look out for one another as their mental states dipped back and forth into the waters of the lost, confused and that the eyes of the other would always see the other under the surface, waiting to be pulled out to the mercy of fresh air.

The decision was both of theirs though, as Connie dived in to kiss him deeply, drawing on breath to breath, tongue to tongue as fingers touched skin and hands took off clothing in the blink of an eye. The thirst was there for the parched ones, desperate to drink the others essence in the passion of the night they had to themselves as Steven took hold of everything in his control, while he could. His eyes skimmed the radiance of her dark form, before he kissed her all over, as she giggled in the parts where she was rightfully ticklish. His mental notes kept away from her feet though, no matter how many times she would clean them. The thought continued to amuse him however, finding it more funny that he'd even did that.

It was a perfect balance of humors and the comforts of the skin as Steven delved his fingers into her and allowed himself to explore, to allow the dam to open so she was rightfully ready for the invasion. Though of all the right reasons, of course. Her muscles contracted more so to the flow as she moaned to his touch, to the way his tongue lathered her neck. He wanted all of her wet. Though the shower was there in that sense, he wanted to make her sweat; drenched with his saliva (a gross but funny thought that had he him feel dumb for the idea)...he wanted to be the reason again and again and the only reason for her to move and shiver like she did. To whisper, to strain his name like she did.

Selfish? Maybe. Maybe it was selfish for him to venture out on his own. His mother did that...his mother took the Rage of Gaia didn't she? She took the dare and made the plunge. It was only natural for Steven to do the same. The Diamond Queens? Selfish in their reclamation for power. Was it selfish for him to use that power for violence? There were many occasions Steven regretted in the terms of the decisions he'd made. Once an advocate for peace, only for the way to pave the path to the new world was to force more destruction. Once upon a time, Steven would be on that boat, floating above of what could only described as a fictional, made up sea, protected from the waves and made to watch them crash from afar. Innocence in the ignorance...but the tall waves destroyed the boat in due time. No longer the good little boy his dad wanted him to be.

This was meant to make them both feel good, however. Not lost in the misery of the dry world. To be good and to feel good were two different things. Perhaps to the the general idea of wanting people to get along and be happy. Good in retrospect but...

Connie spread her legs as Steven slid himself inside of her and began to pump away, gasping for air in this lake of pleasure and luxury. If only weapons were designed to make people happy. That would be something. He aimed to make Connie happy, seeing that smile in between her cries and her closing her eyes, dipping into those electrifying bursts every second or so. Her body rippled about, likened to the mythological beaches of old. He could take Connie to the beach. He could listen to her read a book like he did on some nights, keen to hear her voice and only her voice. 

Getting to know the other Gems wasn't so much of a bad thing either. Getting them to feel good, instead of the more...apathetic responses he'd received at the start. Amethyst. Amethyst was fun. Pearl could be, she'd come around. Garnet was hard to read but he found himself enjoying her company too.

These people...these Gems his mother trusted....they needed this wash of happiness to sooth their sore spirits too. Years spent in uncertainty and finally they were getting somewhere. There was also pride to be found on that desert island full of treasure. Treasure that had Steven admit they needed him as he needed them. He'll gave that vanilla for Amethyst. He'll get that victory spar with Garnet and he'll...somehow get Pearl want she wants, if she ever opened up that is. That was the opposite of selfish.

Misery loves company, as his Dad would say.

Right now, the only company he needed was Connie, hearing those wet slaps, those breathless gasps and grunts for more on his ears pushed him further. To allow the overflow...to allow these fragments of time to enjoy the best parts in between the worst. His name her mantra, consistent with desperate inflections that sent his heart down a whirlpool of flurried emotions, with her name, her face her form her everything that would cleanse and sooth his burning spirit.

If only the incertitude could stop plaguing him all the time.

Connie cried out in cracked whines as she burst, which nearly sent Steven toppling off that boat again. He went faster, biting his lips as he scrunched his eyes and focused on the closest shores. He buried his head into her neck as he made the last few thrusts and groaned loudly as he came, shaking violently and left reeling in heavy breathing, nearly in sync with Connies. They looked at one another, their eyes anchoring their strong, gut churning emotions that forced out a few giggles and laughs from each other, infectious as it all was before they decided to fall asleep in each others arms, content with the moment before the uneasy dawn.

* * *

The very next day was spent travelling to the east as planned, to find the Weeper of Miseria. The two talked about what a Weeper was, as Steven suggested it might have been some kind of...well, crying person. Connie doubted as much, although she does recall, oddly enough, her parents talking about a specific type of headgear that had magical properties, but couldn't quite work out the details. A pair of goggles? Steven liked the idea of going swimming again. That would be fun.

After a days travel, they did come across a series of dead trees and another Micro-Temple. And with any Micro-Temple there was a monster. A blue one this time, more like annoying insect; a dragonfly of sorts going off the old descriptions. Steven noticed, like all the things he noticed about Connie, on how better she had improved with her combat skills thanks to her training. She used his mothers sword like she'd always had it, owning each swing. The Blue Dragonfly was fast, but all it took was for them to be patient and it allow it to under estimate them both. Steven attracted aggro through taunts, before the bug flew into him. He raised his shield and allowed it to crash into it, which allowed Connie to slice it in half with a distinct lack of effort, but more of serene grace.

The creature burst, as Steven caught its blue gem is hand, crushing it without delay and absorbing its essence. Like a regular thing they'd come to expect these days. As common and oddly pleasing like a warm shower. The thought barely occurred to him on how strange that would seem to other people.

Entering the temple the usual way, it was a lot different from a lot of the blue stone temples they were used to seeing. The symbol of the drop; Miseria's signature adorned the back wall. As Steven approached it, his gem started to glow. The symbol lit up too. It was odd. He was used to slapping his hands on things but this one was more automated. Unless...

The back wall shifted upwards, revealing a set of stairs that lead down deeper into the temple, revealing a giant underground cavern. Blue flames burst on either side as floating torches as both of them got close. Steven looked at the determined Connie, with the latter smiling as she took Steven's hand before he took both further.

Inside was...something out of this world. White marble arches and a series of waterfalls. Flashes of the Diamond Towers flickered in his mind. A construct meant for the Queens needs it seemed. Hues of light blues and greys as well as the symmetrical line patterns akin to the Pool Temple they visited. 

Divine crystalline beauty of the odd dark blue feature here and there but otherwise, to the subconscious idea of Queen Blue this was her aesthetic. He could tell. He could smell. There was a slight chill that was enough to send goosebumps rippling up ones skin.

Pearl once described the Diamond Queens unique powers as an influence and presence; leaving their mark on the world like unseen footprints. Each of them held powerful Auras that each of them could control. Influences that could have you feeling their auras; describing the sensation as a type of Miasma. Queen Blue had her own type that flowed through this place as Steven reeled in the unusual sensation that him trying to touch something that couldn't be touched. Not really. It was akin to another being in another dimension touching your shoulder. A ghostly feeling. Spiritually unbalanced, in further descriptions.

In human terms, Steven could call her Miasma cold, her scent earthly to a point with the scent herbs not unlike the ones found in Amethyst's kitchen. It felt like a cup of grief poured down his throat every time he inhaled as fog escaped his mouth. He wondered how it all occurred; how the Diamond Queens stole the power of the Gods themselves and how powerful they had really become to have the Gods submit to their will. One day, they will know.

In the middle of the room was a large fountain with the statue of Queen Blue in all her robed glory, her hands out as water fall from her closed eyes. Crying what his Dad would describe as crocodile tears...what ever crocodiles were. The statue was embedded in a larger chunk of rock underneath another flowing formation above her head. Above the fountain was a silver hand mirror that floated there; with a tear dropped mirror fixated on the back of it, cracked slightly. Steven chalked up the weird whispers and subtle cyan glows as the potential weapon they were looking for.

Steven jumped to retrieve the mirror itself, although once doing so as he stood next to Connie, had the whispers suddenly get louder. The Miasma had increased, permeating the air now as a bluish fog. Connie coughed, as Steven realized it was more of a less smoke to her, since he had no real reaction to it himself. He's never seen or heard about Miasma before hearing about it from Pearl, which begged the question as to what Queen Pink's influence really had in the Compound. It raised more questions than answers.

Whispers got louder as Steven began to notice the fact they were most likely not alone in there. His eyes tracked subtle sounds of movement, going back and forth. He couldn't see...but he could sense. He went to take Connie's hand, instead realizing that she had disappeared. His eyes widened as his chest tightened with panic and anxiety, shifting about nervously as he demanded to know where Connie was.

"Connie!" He called out.

The fog thickened as Steven looked at the mirror, seeing himself in it. His eyes glowed bright magenta, seemingly on their own accord. The smoke's colour warped to a light blue, although some kind of smoke monster with white eyes and the sound of flapping wings and giggling had him on edge and suddenly frozen in place with fear. What was going on?

The smoke monster raised its lithe hands to his cheeks as its eyes pierced into his own, striking him down with an impressionable feeling. Awe? No? Familiarity? No that made no sense. It had to be the Miasma making him feel this way. The smell increased but in the ways that could match up with the sight of something being seen in the corner of your eye came to pass. The smoke monster...it was smiling at him.

It then dived into the mirror...as a flash of light had everything turn back to normal. Though he jumped as he felt something take hold of his hand, that jumped at the same time.

Connie.

She was okay.

She looked a bit worried, swirling her index finger around her face; asking if he'd seen a ghost.

Maybe. He couldn't really say. 

He looked into the mirror again. His eyes were back to normal.

He looked around. Nothing else was out of place.

Only Connie's concerned expression.

Steven took a deep breath and put the mirror into his bag. It was time to leave.

He just wanted to have hot boiling shower and to forget the cold for a while.


	27. Thundering Tempers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scouting for the next weapon begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, please forgive me for the lack of updates. I've been playing a lot of Pokemon, updating my other SU fic as well as other stuff like work still getting in the way. I've been going back and retracing elements of the story just to jog my memory on certain aspects for purposes of consistency. I might as well use this note to thank everyone who's been reading the story so far! I am overwhelmed with a lot of the responses so I really, super appreciate it! While I do not usually promote myself all that often, I am on instagram, tumblr and on twitter too if you wish to follow me. (debating if I should post this fic on tumblr tbh) and feel free to message me if you want links or for me to answer questions.  
Also more smut...and a long chapter.

Steven's had experiences come and go. They would strike him down with clouds of emotions. Left with being in awe, wonderstruck, confused, disconnected, like ones mind kept getting put against the cold iron, trying to get rid of the fairy-tale dream that he'd thought he'd fallen into. But those dreams were indeed reality and reality made its mark time and time again, a scar for each real moment taken. Physical, mental. Where one could decide what could have been, should have been, would have been. The dry world is, was and has...fueling the storms of questions without the rain to wash away the years of grit and grime, the answers left deep underneath the upturned earth. The eternal debate. Instinct to guide and guard, formed from those series of experiences. Never to be the answer but to be the next in line to filter.

Life in the Compound felt tense, dull...anger inducing in ways Steven desperately wanted to make changes but doing said changes risked so much. His fears met with the dying eyes of Kiki, rendering a scar so deep into his soul. The blue, spectral form that held his face in their hands cleansed his mind with unseen waters with new perceptions emerging from his ever-cycling thoughts. The scar, the wound, seeing Connie hurt flickered in the unconscious images embedded, that he was not going to lose her again.

Again? Connecting Kiki and Connie. Again? Cold iron was necessary to break away the more unkempt, unreasonable, unspeakable, unknowable, uncontrollable magical weather of the heart, poured with fury, with passion, with contempt, with fear that gathered itself into a tornado. Who's to tell that Steven could begin to separate all these tethers, binding himself. Could, Would, Should that needs to be is and has. Certainty. Absolution. Like the steely eyes of his beloved, filled with unbreakable determination that filled him with hope and other complex, pressured feelings that would continue to weigh on him.

The very bind was more worrying than anything else. The bind of the spectral form that peered into his brain would remain there, burying itself, but continuing to reach a hand out of the Earth and only to Steven.

Once they'd brought back the Mirror to the Temple, Pearl immediately took Steven downstairs. By that, she summoned a flight of stairs from the middle of the courtyard; something described by them once before with no real reason to visit.

The long set of white set of steps lead them into a round room with a well of lava in the middle. Hues of orange, yellow and red that the light from the lava had swam around the edges, the stone floor and walls. The tall, curved roof was filled numerous coloured bubbles with numerous gems and artifacts within them. Things that were too dangerous to be kept in Amethysts room for one and that only those of the Crystal Priestesses could hold access.

Bubbling was a new concept to Steven. For years he'd crushed gems of old. Pearl described their situation as the Unsaved, the cursed, the forgotten ones. The Sins of the Queens remembered. Crushing them most of the time was better than trying to bubble lost causes so Pearl told him it was okay if he did so. It was often better to put them out of their misery half of the time. On the other side of mystery, captured with the details brought forth by the Maheswarans, they would now be able to properly study these Old God objects with greater detail. The data from the Rage of Gaia didn't herald a great deal, other than it being forged with a mysterious, unknown series of metals. The Mirror, aka the Weeper of Miseria, was definitely a Precursor Relic worth studying. Steven knew there was a power engaged within it and beyond the veil of conscious thought was a voice pleading to escape.

Pearl held it up in front of her and squinted, trying to looking to look at it from all angles. It would require better examination to properly comprehend the power of the Mirror itself, but there was no mistake in knowing it was the Weeper of Miseria. Steven only knew because he could feel it. He'd left Pearl to do what she needed to do, as he met up with the Maheswarans in the dining room shortly after.

Priyanka and Doug talked to Steven about the next weapon while they talk with Pearl themselves about what they had so far. The next weapon, was the Fury of Tempastas.

It was once owned by Queen Yellow; Owner of Compound Two. Steven knew little about her, but she did occasionally pop on during the Cross-Compound Events, normally preferring to go to Death Matches according to local chatter. She was meant to be intimidating, controlling, blunt and unforgiving; putting both her gems and her humans to very high standards. Her Compounds supposedly won the most Death Matches. They used to say Queen Yellow could pick what ever human she wanted from any other Compound that met up to her standards, although not once did she ever visit the Pink Compound; left for the derelict and for the weaker humans. 

All this came from Captain Jasper too, whom always stated she was very lucky to keep Steven or else he would have definitely ended up in Compound Two. For one he was glad he never did. He didn't want to leave everyone else behind. Though, maybe also, that Jasper used him in the hopes Queen Yellow would take both of them. It was hard to say, though from Jaspers comments about how much she absolutely hated Compound Four and how she wanted to leave were left on deaf ears; with Queen Pink refusing any kind of transfer with her own Gems.

The more Steven thought about it, once his mind pushed away the mental fog, that he realized that he didn't want to shatter Jasper due to them having more in common than they realized. They wanted to get out of a horrible situation but were always denied or ignored. Of course Steven also knew he could be wrong but it could have played a contributing factor on the whole ordeal. One day he'll get the chance to properly talk to her...hopefully one chat without fists being thrown...a day without wind or lightning strikes.

The location of the weapon was located to the west. Far west. It'd take them a good month to get there. Although, according to what the Maheswarans found, there was another way to get there faster, but only with the help of a Gem.

A days walk would take them to a mysterious Micro Temple that had interesting markings on them. According to Gaian Lore, the symbol of a clockwise spiral with the rose symbol in the middle of it indicated that it was once an ancient teleporter used by Gaian Knights alone. The roads were often treacherous and mountains were tall and steep so they had constructed the temple as a means to reach out their word to the other Old God locations. Which brought them to the next set of cultists. First it was the Gaian Knights, then the Undertakers of Miseria. Here were the Tempestan Tellers. Another set of descendants who would preach the world of their God, or else they would face the Wrath of Tempastas themselves. 

The wrath...the fury...Steven could already sense the ire, although he shouldn't really judge on what he couldn't see. He couldn't help but feel it, however. He'd gone to bed shortly after that, although Priyanka and Doug wanted to talk to Connie in private first so she would come to bed afterwards, leaving the other with simple one eyed winks for reassurances.

Though he didn't properly fall asleep until he heard her return back to the bedroom, hearing her stomps, shuffles and the bed shaking briefly when she'd jumped into her side. Her breathing was bated.

* * *

The next day had them full equipped with their necessities. Though as they left, Steven took one look at Connie, or five. Steven noticed, like he noticed a lot of things about Connie, when she wasn't acting as herself. There was a slight twitch in her cheek and weight in her step. He wanted so badly to question but didn't want to touch any buttons. She'd adjusted herself, heading off first ahead of Steven and remaining steadfast in her form. As they traveled, he couldn't help but think about what, well...what Connie was thinking about. Perhaps now wasn't appropriate to bring it up...only when they would return he'd have to query her state, albeit very carefully. There was a storm that brewed as loudly as the storms above them, so anything could happen if he'd fiddled around too much. What did she talk about with her parents though?

They'd found the temple in question as it was against a series of rocks and behind another series of tall, hollow dead trees. A monster, green and beastly, attacked them with its massive claws and made the occasional lunge to bite with its gaping maw. The pair had their own pattern. To tire the monster out, for Steven block its ramming horned head against his shield and for Connie to pull all her weight into a series of heated strikes destroyed the monster in under a minute. A new record. Connie did indeed smile at their success and was glad she was improving.

Approaching the blue stone Micro temple, Steven did see the the swirl and rose on the door as described. He rested his hand on the nearby console, which, like all the other temples, lifted up the stone door. Once inside, it looked vastly different from many of the other temples they'd already visited. A giant, rose pink, possible some kind of giant quartz carved beasts head; to where Connie had brought out the Pink Lion to compare against it, noting its design was similar. Pink flames popped out of the empty eye sockets as they walked towards it. It's mouth was wide open, although nothing was inside. Didn't take away from the regal beauty it had, however.

Steven couldn't help but run his fingers over the hard but smooth surface, wandering around it, careful with putting his finger on the tips of the detailed, pointing fangs. Totally surreal, like it was more of a monument to a grander aspect. He was curious about the history of the Gaian Knights, to where Connie noted that yes, Lions were apparently a known symbolic representation of them as whole. Her parents mentioned that each of the Old Gods did have an old world animal as their kind of mascot. Undertakers of Miseria had Butterflies from what they could recall and as for the Tempestan Tellers they had Hawks. Psyche was the hardest to discern to which they were the hardest group to be able to find information on.

It'd been a long day of travelling in all honesty and have much deliberation, the two decided to make camp in the temple for the night, preferring to be prepared for the day ahead after some rest. Steven set up the fire as Connie prepared some of Amethyst's home made soup from the red thermos and handed a mug with frog decor to Steven. It had him thinking if any kind of organization had a frog for a mascot. Made for some interesting yet amusing anecdotes.

Once dinner was done the two readied themselves for bed, although Steven could easily see that, in the way Connie's body language was that she was still tense. In a way that he used with caution, he'd sat out with his legs spread and with his hands together, spread in a prayer like formation. He pleaded for Connie, with sparkling starry eyes that barely anyone said no to, to come to sit in front of him. Connie stood in front of him, still with her sleeping bag in her hands and a raised eyebrow. She'd contemplated, then sighed, feeling the obligation to do as she was told. Though, she didn't have to, as she knew with what ever Steven had planned wouldn't be anything out of the norm.

He'd must have suspected her current state. He wasn't stupid. She'd sat down in front of him, though a yelp almost escaped her as he took hold of her hips and drew her closer. Connie wasn't nervous, but rather intrigued as to what Steven was trying to do. Her eyes were entirely focused on the floor in front of her, darting from side to side as if chasing after her own, speeding out of control thoughts. It wasn't until she felt him kneed his thumbs into her back deeply that all he was trying to do was to help her relax.

On and around her shoulder blades, beneath her neck etc. She sighed with content. It wasn't without a little bit of pain of course. If it took her away from the whirlwind of bad moments and into the steady arms of her man she'd embrace it, of course. Massages were a different language entirely, mixing in pressure and tender care in ways that served to take care of muscles punished by days of walking and heavy lifting. No denying that it felt food overall, in that case. All in all, she wanted to tell Steven that, well, the reason she was like this was because of the argument she'd had with her parents the night before.

* * *

It'd been after dinner and they'd gone into their quarters out the back. With documentation in hand and after much that they had gone into, Connie assumed that they were there to voice a type of disapproval for her relationship with Steven;a topic she wondered not on the word of if but when. They'd sat down before the fireplace on the comfy green and red chairs, with Connie taking the latter and her parents sitting on the former; talking about a lot they had discovered about the Crystal Priestesses in the meantime. While the group meant well, Steven being the son of Rose Quartz; whom was both the part of the Gaian Knights who'd sworn themselves to the Old God and had then had become the leader of the Crystal Priestesses there after, had them realize that her having Steven may have other ulterior motives.

Connie had to explain to them that Steven was meant to be the bond that would bind both Gem kind and Human kind together, to end the conflict and to restore peace to the faded world and perhaps in the end, restore the world on the whole. They would bring back the rain and the sun and the green earth once only described in books. Killing the Queens was the only idea they had to atone for the sins committed.

Their disapproval of the relationship was brought on by concerns that they didn't really know Steven all that well. Connie didn't want to without Stevens permission, but she'd further explained how he was raised in the Pink Compound and he'd left under unfortunate circumstances and was meant to come here to finish off his mothers work. They would continue to note that, beyond anything else, where were all the other hybrids in existence? Surely if Gem Kind and Human Kind had known the other for eons that the two would have interwined throughout the periods of Peace.

Though, rules and regulations as described by the Priestesses knew that such unions were forbidden and that Gems were made through Kindergarten or Summoning Temples so the circumstances surrounding Steven's birth to begin with on shaky grounds at best. Rose had thrown her stone into the alchemical process and destroying herself alongside the matters that made him up. So that's what they had be wary of. Steven's creation. Connie never felt the need to ask such questions as it wouldn't be relevant to their mission. Although Connie had to wonder.

Were they more worried about Steven or Rose?

The more they dug into history of the tomes they had collected, they knew Rose as a controversial figure within the Gaian Knights themselves, although her parents didn't go into great detail. All they wanted to tell Connie really was to urge caution and be wary of trusting Steven entirely, lest he be something in the midst of Rose's rumoured trickery.

It pissed her off the most that they would say that, after everything he'd done for them. Saved them, protected them...

She stood up, off the chair and towered over her parents and voiced her disgust on how he saved her life when they had disappeared. If it wasn't for him, Connie would be dead.

The pair were left wide-eyed and silent, as Connie stormed off, irritated beyond anything else and went to bed. Seeing Steven there, sleeping peacefully, should have brought calm but it didn't. What her parents had said tried to sink in but Connie refused to accept it. She would only accept an apology. Her temper wouldn't settle for anything less.

* * *

And here they were, in this aura of complacency for the night and Connie knew, absolutely and without that shroud of dubiety, that he was genuine in his actions, right down his smile, no matter how cheeky it could become when he was in the mood. To hell with Rose, Steven wanted to make her feel good. He wanted to take care of her and Connie wanted to take care of him. If Rose did something questionable, Steven certainly had no idea. If he did, he had a reason not to tell her. If it was important to their mission, he'd bring it up.

She couldn't afford an inch of distrust with him, especially with all they had been through. Connie did not want the claws of her parents voices shredding her completely. Not at all. But they just poked on the surface, much to Connie's consternation. But one thing she was grateful for in this moment, was that him massaging her had this warm, fuzzy protective spell on her mind and soul. His fingers and hands would make the prominent dare to run elsewhere at times, teetering on the lines of temptation. Connie smirked, wondering if he wanted to. She wanted to. Or was it that Steven wanted her to want him to. Funny. Pretty funny. He could tease, yes. And as he smoothed over near her waist with his hands and as she felt his hot breath on the back of her neck, he definitely was teasing. Connie could only snicker and feel her cheeks heat up as hands delved underneath her cyan top towards her stomach, with fingers making waving lines on her skin, tickling her and giving out the automated, giggled response in turn.

It would brew the commotion in her gut, striking down and causing the embers to form. Every subtle touch was like a mini touch of lightning to her nerves that aimed to the center of her body. Electrifying indeed.  
Though her eyes shot open, as his lips met with her neck and the noises of his suckling crackled her. His left was firm on her hip and his right hand peered up further to her top and intruded underneath her bra. A finger desperately tried to shuffle itself underneath and made ragged circles around her nipple. 

Torturing teasing for the two, as the tumultuous tempest twisted up her tickled throat. 

Was it wrath that which truly held Gaia's reign on life? Tempastas was more described as the prideful one. Quick to anger but Tempastas was indeed more controlled from what the texts had described. Gaia could be described as, as best, relatively peaceful but in the rage that would follow, had to be that if you pushed them in the wrong direction. Miseria would pile grief and devastation, honing more on the despair side of things.  
Steven was Gaia, in a weird way so why would her parents really see it any other way. He was a striking example of patience and when provocation pulled him in one too many directions it simply held the formula to his darker side. The side Connie had already seen. So what could be worse that this destructive force that was only there if you prodded way too often? 

His left hand then slid down into her pants, underneath her underwear but not quite reaching the spot she wanted him to. He strayed a certain distance. On purpose. Connie knew that much and she, playfully, _hated_ him doing that to her. On the verge of the growing lights in their beings wanting that part to crack but patching it constantly with weakened barriers. Weak so that he could control when they would break. How was this meant to help her feel better when it was on the borderline of causing her pain? He tested her patience, with his fingers just shy of her clit, tapping around it and causing her to whine and furrow her brows in response.

Her breathing quickened, as Steven growled against her neck. All this...all of this to allow the simmer like Amethyst's soup. It needed time it needed care and caution and constant stirring. Stirring, like his finger did around her nipple. The bridge got longer, but it got more fragile. A bridge of light wood carrying heavy loads of metal. It would snap, if not for the constant mending that sent everything back and forth. The bridge would debilitate over time...

Connie went into sensory overload, especially in touch. His legs rubbed against her own and he was grinding slightly against her back as he pressed himself against. Steven the teaser, the stirrer...he couldn't help but chuckle as well. Steven the jokester. She could trust he would do silly things like this...only in the names of the positive. He could pull this off with her and in the end to her own satisfaction. He wasn't a plotter like those in stories and he was a far cry from the villainous Diamond Queens, only that he was evil in doing these things to her, tormenting her so, allowing the flames to flicker and be on the edge of death. 

Life, death...the in between. Steven was the boy in between. The coloured, the faded. Clouds that may seem calm but retain powerful surges within. Light, darkness. Twilight.

She put her hand on the one in her pants and attempted with great force to get Steven to move his hands around her clit. The way his devilish laugh reverberated through his throat and through her body drove Connie nuts as he resisted to move fingers further in. She'd slapped the top of his hand repeatedly, wanting him to end this nightmare that wasn't actually a nightmare bu-

She jolted forward as he suddenly relented, with the surprising turn of events having him begin to finally rub the right spot. She sighed with content, but then moved his other hand out from beneath her shirt, presumably if she could assume from the more shuffling of clothes, was to relieve his own hard on. He didn't deserve to finish himself off that easily but he was the one who had the control and held her in place. _Damn it._

Steven eventually poked inside and curled slowly. By this point Connie just wanted to come. She'd both had enough but didn't and maybe perhaps that's what prompted Steven to go a little quicker. Let the lightning flash and you'll feel the rumbling thunder soon enough, vibrating its deep bass through every existing cell. 

She gasped for air, though grunting to voice her displeasure; a lament to the loss of control.

"You-you're a menace Stevennn..." She called out.

Another stream of chuckles escaped him that could Connie felt. He was so mean, but in a way, Connie hated to admit that she didn't mind it all too much. By that point, everything became far too heated for her mind to handle. Her face was red, her heart beating like a drum and her body in sweat, her crotch was beyond wet and her body was was on the verge of being part of an affliction of an impending shock as her mind tried to grasp logic and failed every time as insanity became the safe place to be.

Her body then flailed as she cried out, her orgasm rippling through her but her mind in the eye of the storm. Electricity finally flowed through like a thousand volts, fraying every nerve possible for that brief moment and the stars came and went in her vision the same way.

Collapsing after was the only course of action Connie could take, falling backwards into his embrace as he removed his hands. She allowed herself the time to recuperate, before she regained an inch of strength to turn around and to pound on his chest lightly with her fists, damning him for treating like that, even if she did actually enjoy it. Something new, educational about her own likes and dislikes. And she couldn't ignore the light in his smile either and what lied within his shinning eyes...

Not an inch of ill meaning behind them.

* * *

The following day was spent entirely in exploration mode. Connie was grateful for Steven helping her release some frustration. She's done that for him on multiple occasions too so it was only fair. Her mind was more at ease and she could now focus on trying to understand more of history here. They managed to work the console on the left hand side, made of the Rose Quartz mineral as well. The swirl with the hand on top of it. He nodded to Connie as he pressed his own against it.

The room rumbled briefly as they stood back, revealing a swirling pink shaded oval shaped magical abyss. This had to be the teleporter itself. Steven approached it first, memorized as the lights reflected into his eyes. A magic, a power, unseen before. He was hesitant, but...a hand reached out that shook with nerve and fear for the unknown. Surely it shouldn't be that scary but...his heart raced all the same and a mouth left agape. Connie stood right behind him as he popped in a finger first. A slight chill at first but nothing overly concerning. Steven swallowed and pursed his lips and his mind asking questions with no answer that would emerge in his vision. Not until he made the first step. Connie grabbed his spare hand and held it tightly. Perhaps now wasn't the time but it had Connie think that Steven was teasing himself in an odd way. Not likely but it felt like it.

He put on foot in and after a moment of deliberation, moved inside but left one arm out to make sure he didn't lose sight of the outer world. 

Eyes met with a blush coloured sky and carnation hued long, waving grass as he entered. A tall hill in the distance with a single tree with pink leaves was in the center. The smell of this place was sweet, oddly sweet and the cool, gusts of wind were a lot more peace inducing than the harsh ones in the outside world. What kind of teleporter was this?

Steven put his head out of the portal to look at Connie, whom was patient, and nodded to her, telling her it was safe. He brought her in with him and to say she was just as dumbfounded as he would be an understatement.

This...odd place held a mood on its own. No hum or echo. The hollow looked didn't fell hollow and the sound of the wind playing with the grass was all they could really hear, like it was natural static. It had Steven wonder if this was Old God Magic...or Gem Magic...or both? He couldn't really say. The Gaian Knights certainly either constructed or had access to interesting technologies. 

The pair filtered through the grass, the sensation of it being alive and thriving certainly spoke volumes of the places ability to grow such flora he'd only see in hues of yellow or brown. He wasn't used to it...expecting the mythological coloured green grass. Either way, being here with such fresh air, inhaling its scent and quality into his lungs did perk him up a bit. It was more than nice. The hill in the middle contained another console as Steven walked up to it. Putting his hand on it revealed a pink rectangular screen within a series of glitched up screens. This one had the lightning bolt symbol on it. On mental command, the screen went wide, then disappeared, as another pink hole appeared in the distance.

Instinct told Steven that this was what they were indeed looking even if the evidence wasn't exactly clear. He took Connies hand as they'd ran down the hill and into the second portal, as their desires to explore here would have to come at another time.

Exiting the portal had them come across another temple and another Quartz carved Lions head. They had to be here. 

* * *

It was unusual for Steven to have this knowing, this feeling. The air in this place felt more charged, more so on when they had left the safety of the Micro Temple. Steven hadn't been in the west for months himself. Not much to tell on that count. The monster here was yellow hued and beast like, similar to the ones they'd normally fight. Steven and Connie took it down swiftly and quickly, per their usual combative rituals.

Venturing further, they did come across a tall, yellow hued tower, similar in construct to the one they found Connie's parents in. Steven felt a tightness in his chest, which meant that they were close. How, again, instinctual feeling. Like how he felt with the Mirror and with the Sword and with the way he knew he could tell Connie had been feeling strange. So, Steven was keen to explore these unusual feelings and wanted to talk to Pearl or Garnet about them when he returned.

In the mean time, they noticed a series of Quartz Warriors in higher quality armor. Black with the yellow Diamond Symbol in the chest and spiked shoulder pads with yellow tips. Citrines...Steven knew them as Citrines. He's hardly seen them, save for them being the presence of Queen Yellow and her underlings. They were more...serious than those of either in Queen Pinks or Queen Blue's service. It was then Steven had an idea.

He rested their bags nearby, and ushered to Connie that they may need to fuse for this one. Connie surprisingly agreed to this on that count. Combining their strengths, they could use Stevonnie swiftly...though had never really tested their fusion in combat. It was never brought up before so why were they suddenly bringing it up now. Steven trusted Connie implicitly and never desired to see her hurt but in this case his faith in her so far had pulled off much more than either could imagine and that Connie's refined intuition in battle could perhaps be reflected in Stevonnie's instincts too.

It was weird putting so much faith into his own instincts, like this was what he had supposed to. Instinct guided him previously, alongside all else. It wasn't a storm, but the lack of fog when to matters that needed quick time decisions. Clearer minds in trust with the less rigid ideas. The flexibility unhindered by the tornadoes of uncertainty.

Garnet related Steven to that, that at the end of it, trusting your own instincts was incredibly important. He'd refined it on his own but all of that really was just for survival, nothing more. His training had him hone on and knuckle down on aspects that needed to be molded, nurtured and avoided if need be. He never mentioned Stevonnie to Garnet out of misaligned fears but in the end, he regretted not doing so. Forbidden Fusions; as they were so called. Although, truthfully, it all boiled down to priorities and not really understanding fusion entirely.

What ever the excuse, it was time to put Stevonnie to the test.

The two, remembering the first time they fused, stood in front of one another. They saw each other, in the others eyes as they approached one another in the urge of pace. Hands rose and clasped together as one, minds in harmony and thoughts projected from the others minds. Minds crashing and thundering, tempers tempered and hearts emerged as their conjoined entity.

-

The Citrines were no match for their combined might. They were swift, fast, bound with great agility and force. Stevonnie would allow them to charge forward so they could summon their shield then slice their forms in the following instant. It was far from perfect in terms of what Pearl would observe to be their form but once all of their gems laid dormant on the ground, who would anyone be to question their power with the very icon of Pink Rage in their hand?

Stevonnie put their hand on the console, opening up the black door as it slid open. Inside was a set of spiraled stairs that went to the top. More Citrines guards to spare it seemed. Without delay, Stevonnie struck across from warrior to warrior, waving around like the wind in their own rhythm, allowing the mind to take every sensation. Increased senses and increased mental strength that pushed through the relentless horde with parries, dodges and dives and the like. It really was like Stevonnie, as this formed, functional being had existed for years and had honed and trained like an expert...like it was from...birth.

They weren't with their temper, the collective of the minds of their components. Unpredictable like the weather, though even then they knew what their mind could be like. Windy, loud...but also calm...

They were the Great Tempest of their making.

The Citrines were then taken care of, one by one. Enough of the Warriors found guarding their precious Queens artifact at the top of the tower. Stevonnie had made it and saw the next sit of black sliding doors. The console didn't accept their command this time. presumably because they weren't Queen Yellow. Instead, they sheethed the sword on their back and and forced the doors open. Their gem glowed, utilizing the extra power as they dipped their fingers into seams in the middle. Teasing, torturing. Steven would have to feel the pain of denial, the nearly there. They felt their muscles nearly give way but not before they spread the doors wide enough for them to get through.

Inside was, at first considerable dark. But a flip of a very large switch was sounded, as yellow torches were spread across the white, silvery room. The room contained a dias like the Weeper was, but had more a squarish aesthetic. The patterns on the floor and roof were square white diamonds with little yellow diamonds in the centre. Furniture was more rigid, symmetrical but mostly held squares as its general aesthetic. The Dias was square and had a grey stone cut figure of Queen Yellow standing there with her hands lifted beside her head as she carried a pan on her head. Above the pan was a floated cube and in a description that Stevonnie muttered to themselves called it a Rubicks Cube. Who ever Rubicks was.

It had tiled colours of yellow, pink, blue, white, green and purple in sets of nine on each side. It constantly shifted with itself, like someone was trying to solve the puzzle on their own. Stevonnie then split back into Steven and Connie as Steven had a lot of mental imagery he was suddenly working through. Connie understand, letting him shifting into trying to figure out what do on his own without her own involvement. Again, that instinct of knowing. It added up to the trust they had for each other after all. Another etch to prove her parents wrong.

Steven on the other hand kept walking around the dias in a steady pace. He could hear...something..._someone_...in the Cube. Much like the Mirror, yellow-greenish smoke poured out of the cracks. He turned around to see that Connie had disappeared, the air filled with an odd, whitish mist that sparkled throughout. Small gusts echoed everywhere but nothing too strong like those from the outside world. He could make out a small figure with some kind of a triangular head fly around with a slight ethereal giggle, that eventually settled on holding onto Steven's cheeks. Their eyes opened, revealing the strong star brightness, alongside a forged smile.

A flash returned him back to reality, as he suddenly found the cube in his hands. His eyes became fixated on it and while it no longer moved on its own, Steven's mind tried so hard to push through the confusion, but to no avail. Chaotic. Too chaotic. Experiences come and go but...in some cases did little to ease the transitions to and from the weird and the bizarre, no matter how far he or Connie were stretched.

Connie's hand rested on his own to chalk some sense back into him, without words to call forth that had him floating around in the discord of unsorted feelings. For now, they only needed to return back with the cube.

They'd hoped the temper of the dust devils would grant them mercy on their way back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yes this is the Lion's Mane Dimension. This place has oxygen in this AU BTW.


	28. Cold Transfer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven finds new meaning in meditation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A word of warning of certain triggers involving...self harm in this chapter

Steven knew little about Queen White. Too little. ...

Even when he'd asked the Priestesses, the only bit of information he get could obtain was from Pearl, stating that she was quite infamous for her..seclusion. Secretive, unknown. It was generally unspoken of, but she was the one who brought the sin to life. Every finger pointed towards her and every reason to believe the purpose to claim power was justified would be on her head. So to speak.

The Mirror and the Puzzle Cube were in their hands now, but they were still no closer to understanding how these were to be used against the Queens. Study between the Maheswarans and the Crystal Priestess were deep underway, deep in books and old lore, while Steven himself reserved his position in the Courtyard by the fountains, left in thought in deciding the connections everything had. Garnet did teach him how to meditate to sort through his own confusing feelings about everything they had found out so far.

Research was research as it was. Steven sensed some kind of...voice or spirit within the items they'd claimed. They used no words, no structure to communicate but only the lights of their eyes. If only Steven could communicate the same way, to get a justification, a meaning to everything.

He had his mat and several candles sitting around him, lit up with different incenses. These were...musky, so not entirely pleasant but they had to do the job.

Pearl once commented on how his mother would do the same thing, although wouldn't say much other it mentioning that she was trying to communicate with a higher power. Perhaps Gaia. It made sense to.

He closed his eyes, breath in, breath out...breath in, breath out...

A chill went down his spine as his mind focused on what ever it could. Within and outside the spirit. Meditation was a premise to connect to the Old Gods and to provide a sense of calm and reflection into ones self. If anything else Steven really needed it, constantly feeling the heat and nearly exploding from time to time.

Cold, so cold to the touch of the distant realms of the mystical. To hear the whispers, to see the fog escaping ones breath. Lower temperatures to follow, like a shower to wash away the dirt. The cold, better than the hot. The stillness, the freeze. The eternal standstill like time had suddenly stopped. Not ticking of tocks from broken clocks...just breath, flow and snow.

Snow?

He's heard of snow. Like sand. Except white..soft instead of rough. A legendary weather pattern to rock the world in a cloak of pure powder. The realm still dark...still lingered. A soul. A few souls...pure gusts of wind. Ghosts of the chill instead of ghosts of the dust. None of them walked, or moved at all. Standing there, still. They might as well be statues. One could mistake the howls of the wind as their screams. Begging to move...begging to die.

It quietened a little bit, with Steven only hearing his own breath.

Breath in, breath out, fog in, fog out.

His eyes looked at the ground as he heard scratching on the ground. Being carved into the abyss in writing, as Steven's eyes flowed through each letter until a word could be read.

_Return._

Return? Return to what, Steven wondered.

The word faded into what Steven could attest to be, from general description, snow flakes. More scratching, more words.

_Alone._

Alone? Why?

Breath out, breath in, word out, word in.

_Starlight._

Okay, Steven was incredibly confused. 

Breath out, breath in, word out, word in.

_Home._

Steven began to shiver, rubbing his hands as it suddenly got colder and colder. Return, Alone, Starlight, Home. What did it mean? Like most things, all of it made little sense to him. Voices on the wind tried to talk to him as he traversed further, desperately trying to get a hold of who or what was talking to him. Talking to the spirits or Gods or what ever and Steven shouldn't have been surprised on how ambiguous it was.

It was then every stopped. Steven was back in the Courtyard. 

Return, Alone, Starlight, Home.

Words to continue to etch into his own mind...to which he then became distracted by the pain on his arm. He pulled up his sleeve and jumped back, to see the words...written on his arm..scratched into his left arm. There was no blood but a white aura in his scars.

To say this freaked him out was an understatement. Someone, something did this to him. Should he tell everyone? Should he show them the marks on his arm? His heart raced. It got colder and colder.

He'd gone back into his room in a haste, hoping it would be warmer. Only to find that it was just as cold. His eyes scanned the entirety of the room in the midst of his paranoia and jumped at the grey, worn book on the coffee table. Connie must have put it there, surely. He rubbed his hands, cracked his knuckles and cautiously and with shakes from both the chill and his nerves...Steven decided, much to how crazy it would appear to be, that the two didn't have to be mutually exclusive.

He definitely had to have been losing his mind.

Opening the book, he could see Diamond Queen Symbols on the inside. He ran his fingers over each Diamond and his ears played tricks with each one. The crackling of thunder over yellow, the gushing of waves over blue, the chirping of...something over pink and finally, crystal like chiming over white.

Insanity was taking its toll. 

Breath in, breath out...mind in, mind out.

He'd slapped his hand over the whole thing, for no apparent reason other than he felt it....and he instantly regretted it, hearing screams and shouts that had him holding his ears...

"STOP IT!"

He'd shut his eyes....and then...silence.

Only for the chimes to return.

Steven opened his eyes yet again and noted that he'd returned to the dark realm. Only with him on the pink couch and the coffee table with the book on top. No ghosts though.

Breath in, breath out, mind in, mind out.

A brisk, gentle wind, breeze that soothed his now heated skin. The cold once feared and now welcomed in an instant. A sense of calm washed over. The sounds of the crystals continued to clink around him. Looking up, he could see wind chimes...not unlike the ones he'd used to see in the Compound, made of wood and often creating pleasant hollow music.

Instead, these ones were made out of glass...or some kind of clear-coloured jewels. They looked more spikey, akin to the rounded ones he was used to seeing. His eyes returned back to the book. The page must have turned on its own. The Diamond Queen symbols were replaced by text. It was written so...elegantly in common text. He'd never seen writing so curvy and fancy that wasn't printed from a really old book. This one...a tome of ancient origins, so foreign and yet.

The texts seem to be in small paragraphs that Steven could not place any inch of certainity. How could it be in this dark, freezing place...

"We embark on thy journey, through high, low.

We four, embrace, and thy must grow.

White, Yellow, Blue, Pink.

We four, embrace and think.

Life, shallow, love narrow

Shed skin, shed thin.

No words, just sin.

-

He flipped the page to see the next batch of text.

You sin. I sin.

We sin. They sin.

Must control thine light

Must control thine sight

One to astray, one to pray

One to lay, one to say.

-

Undone in tandem

We few four

Through sin unhindered

We want more

-

Run no more

Fight no more

This isn't right

Cry no more.

-

Next page

-

Thy went and done

To find thine sun

Temple of Creation

Where light be done.

-

Light be gone

Sky no more

No water to fall.

Shame for four.-

-

It had to have been something to do with the Unforgiving Sin, Steven was so sure. The pages then flipped themselves several times over, much to Steven's dismay.

-

Listen well child

Need not to fear

Find thine Beacon

With no one near.

-

Before he knew it, he felt three taps on his shoulder. His eyes opened up, as it was apparent that he was staring at the mirror in the bathroom. He could have sworn his eyes were flickering magenta before he realized what was going on. He turned to see Connie with a distressed look on her face. Steven furrowed his brows, looking at Connie's line of sight. His eyes looked down further, towards the ground to see a pool of blood dripping to the ground, with it having slithered over his hand, from up his left arm. Lifting it up, he could see the words...carved in blood this time. Before he could react, his eyes traveled to his shaky right hand, which had a shard of glass taken from the obviously broken cup on the ground.

A chill over came him as he looked at his now pale face in the mirror, his eyelids dropping as he heard Connie calling out his name before a loud thump echoed as he lost consciousness.

Breath in, breath out, mind in, mind out.


	29. Lightbound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The recent incident with Steven has Connie very concerned.

It was hard to imagine the world any different to the way it was now.

Years spent under the belief of the eternal shroud and that the sun, moon and the stars were simply a myth. Life in this unchanging cage, wrapped in paranoia and fear and you forget you are not the only one trying to survive in the grey twilight.

For Connie, the light for her, her sun, her moon and her stars rested within Steven, proving the myths more fact than fiction. His eyes held the legendary light behind them, to where Connie could stare into them all day if time afforded her to. Resonating with the soft hums of contentment that kept her going.

So when she'd found him in the bathroom with the burning flames residing within him. The blood drowned them out and the light faded as he collapsed. The hums stopped.

It almost sucked out all the air out of Connie as she fell into a panic and tried to wake him up. He'd held that shard within his hand so tightly with unknown purpose, to where Connie couldn't make any plausible conclusion as to what just happened. She'd tried to drag his body out of the bathroom and cried out for help multiple times before the Gems came to her aid.

They'd taken his body into Pearls room, to where her mother had come out to check out the damage. Connie was told to wait outside with her father and as the door to Pearls room closed, she turned and cried into her dads chest. She didn't want to lose her beacon.

It was an anxious few hours, as Connie and Doug sat on the nearby bench, begging things to proceed quicker. They hadn't been updated but her father assured her that they would doing all they could. Her mother had experience in this sort of thing, knowing she'd been trained in the ways of Medicine in the Gaian Knights order.

Thought lines waved and dodged through multiple assumptions. Why did he do it? Was there something he was feeling? Was he trying to do something? Was he having another episode? Connie wasn't able to grasp his powers fully, but Steven, if Connie could be honest, had always been a little strange. Then again, Connie didn't know any better...having only known her parents her entire life before she met him. It mattered little to her in the end as the benefits outweighed everything else. That the little slices of light he gave to Connie meant everything. To happiness the stars in her sky and in the night, could show off the moon to play with her tides.

After what felt like an eternity, the doors soon opened, as her mother walked out. She gave Connie a simple nod, which allowed her to finally enter.

Connie cautiously entered, slowly moving towards the center of the room as the Gems surrounded Steven's body that laid on the table. His arm was wrapped in bandages, but his face was still horrifically pale. She'd give anything to find out what happened and what was going on in his mind. It was then Pearl's eyes turned to Connie, indicating that they needed to talk.

Pearl took the confused girl aside and out of earshot of everyone. He was going to be okay, to Connie's relief. But...

What ever he did...Pearl had seen this before. Humans left with markings on their arms meant something else was afoot. Markings like his meant someone had their eye on him. Someone knew what he was trying to do and they didn't like it, accounting his condition to some kind of curse.

How...why...when? Getting the other artifacts perhaps? The Mirror? The Cube? There wasn't anything they saw that would explain it.

Pearl continued to talk about Steven's mother and how she was against the order the Diamond Queens had set in place. While Gems couldn't be cursed, humans could be and that someone, somewhere had found out about his existence. Was it Captain Jasper? No...she didn't seem like the type that was able to do that. Unless she reformed and told the Diamonds about Steven.

That had to be the only explanation.

It made Connie furious as to even think that.

Shuffling noises sounded nearby, as Pearl and Connie returned back to see that Steven had started to stir. He'd batted his eyelids a few times before he sat up and looked around, still dazed. Connie couldn't help but smile, as she ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his torso. He was...puzzled at first with his mind coming to terms that he was actually awake now, trying to find its own light source for solidarity.

He was cold to touch, which was odd in its own right. Maybe he was getting sick? He looked at his arm, with the markings he'd etched into it and panicked, with a quickened gasp escaping his mouth and had him putting his hand on it in response.

They'd urged him to explain, but Steven shook his head as he tried to get off the table, struggling as he'd only managed to roll off of it. No one knew what to expect as he'd gotten up with Amethyst's help, the purple gem just as worried as to what in the world was going on as she put his arm around her shoulders.

"Nn-need....need to find...Temple of...Creation..." He said, out of breath.

The three gems looked at each other, seemingly aware of what he was talking about.

"Is that where the last weapon is?" Amethyst questioned.

Pearl covered her mouth and pondered in thought as Garnet adjusted her visor.

"Queen White." She said.

"She's trying to stop you from finding her weapon."

The problem was trying to find the location. They wanted Steven to discuss this with them. Garnet had told him to meditate prior so...it had to be something he saw that triggered it.

"Or she's trying to lure you into a trap."

The curse Pearl mentioned...maybe it was Queen White. It would seem, that the way the gems feared her and spoke about her, that she was considered the most powerful of the Queens and their general leader. The one that would have given the directions and lead them to enacting the Unforgiving Sin.

The Temple of Creation was description of a specific Kindergarten or Summoning Temple, apparently only used only by the Diamond Queens themselves. They could even believe that's where the sin started from. 

"I need...need to fi-find it."

No. He was not. Not in this condition. Not while he held this supposed curse they could barely even understand. Not while that voice, while determined, sounded weak, cracked and desperate.

* * *

They had Steven return to his room and laid him on the bed, where Connie could keep her eye on him. There was the trickle of the stars in his eyes, like a fine powder, though somewhat glassy and cloudy too. If this really was a curse, Connie had to find the cure. 

If Garnet was right, however...Queen White was the culprit, insinuating that she had at a point discovered their plans. This was dangerous...they could find their location, could find their new home.  
His breathed continued to be burdened as sweat rolled down his face. It took her a while but after getting him to drink plenty of water and making sure he was nice and warm under the blanket, he'd soon fallen back to sleep.

This...sickness was so sudden too. Connie was just human and couldn't fathom or get Gem magic in its entirety. 

She'd made sure he was comfortable before leaving the room to find Garnet with her parents. Connie needed answers and she needed answers now. She'd asked Garnet about the meditation she'd advised him to do and according to her, him wanting to find out the next weapon depended on his relaxed mind. She didn't intend for him to end up like this however...only that she'd taken inspiration from Rose; who would normally meditate in circumstances where she actually needed a clearer head so she could find solutions or to figure out the steps to take.

In a way, this made Connie a little angry. Steven wasn't his mother and while she could get that he might have her power suite, they didn't even take into consideration that he was part human as well. All this, whacked on without using that fact to avoid situations like this. Pearl was unusually silent about it too.

Connie resorted to going to Amethyst's Library to find anything that might remotely look like what had happened, although a lot of these books were made before the sin was committed. So, there was doubt into finding any resources into this sickness. The Library ended up being a huge mess of piled up books from Connie flickering through each of them, speed-reading most of them and slamming one down in frustration when it came to the aspect of realization that nothing they had could help him.

She'd sat down between towers of unsorted books and cried in her lonesome...alone in the darkness where geodes were her only stars. The only light. An open book laid in front of her, a poem from ancient times inscribed. Out of her own haste she looked through irrelevant books, simply because she just wanted something, anything to help Steven.

What would we do with a world without words. Without meaning, without communication.

Where would we be?

The lack of story-telling

The lack of any of yelling

No system in place.

No meaning in we.

No word for light

No word for sky

No word for stars

No word for cry

No words to exist.

No word for die.

No worries, no whys, no hows, no lies

No reasons to smile, no reasons to lie

No questions to ask.

No reason to mask

Our lives in a cast.

* * *

This distinct world cracked apart in the lack of proper communication. To where people could do things because they could. Or to their own sick, twisted pleasures. She didn't need to be here. She needed to be there for Steven, who, bit by bit, much to what Connie did not want to admit, that he was falling apart at the seams and absolutely no one could attest to any type of truth. Distrust in the Crystal Priestesses grew and for Steven to get better, he needed to be away from Gem kind due to how ignorant, selfish and outright they could be.

They were helping Steven...why. They were told to? Did they actively care about humanity anymore? Their only dedication to their dead comrade relied on loyalties to her son. Her successor and they were telling him what to do. He was human too and was subject to human pain and suffering like anyone else. He held the light of the gems because his mother wanted him to. To bridge the gap between the two races who had been at each others throats for far too long.

The part that Connie detested the most was that there was barely a lack of direction for Steven to begin with, only being told scraps and making hefty guesses along the way. He knew what the long term goal was but everything in between was left to lessons learned on his own accord. 

Connie was lucky, since she had her parents. Steven had his Dad who could teach him Human stuff and from what experience he had with Gems to begin with wasn't entirely left in the lights of using his Gem side for good. He'd been forced to live in secrecy of his heritage and now that it was out in the open, he had to fight against his own kind and that those who aligned themselves with him only because of obligations. Connie could get they wanted to save the world. But did they actually want to?

The Gaian Knights did have Gems in their ranks and they actually cared and maybe Rose did. But...she would have been in a position of power, surely, within Queen Pinks Court. She could get Garnet's story and Pearl's story in a way and Amethyst, well, yeah hers did sort of make sense. Did they owe their lives to Rose? Maybe. Now she's gone and the only part of her left is Steven so...they were only holding the only aspect of her light that remained.

And that was, pitiful.

Well, not entirely. They cared enough to train Connie herself and Steven and house their parents. But again, was that out of obligation or was it something they genuinely cared about?

She returned back to Steven, who looked more at peace now than he did before. As soon as he got better, they were going to leave and find the Temple of Creation on their own and make their own future from now on. For now, Connie needed to figure out a cure...the sooner, the better.


	30. Hysteria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven struggles to hold on, but an hallucination of the most unexpected gives him an idea.

Steven was no stranger to nightmares.

The hurt, the destruction...while none of it was real. It felt real. There was a hidden message that was attempting to get out of him, but to no avail. There was a point to his eternal recurrence of a crux of lucidity, letting him see the window to the real world, to see Connie with him which gave him hope. 

But what could he really do when he was trapped into the cycle for which he had no control of? If all of it was just visual noise and distortion, then he'd have to be patient, resilient enough until a solution could be found. Maybe the Priestesses would find a solution or he could break out of this on his own. 

The future depended on him getting to the last piece so they could figure out the way to defeat the Diamond Queens. The secondary goal to the primary goal.

He so badly wanted to cling onto Connie that he'd focused on staying awake, seeing her as she had fallen asleep, her head on his chest. It warmed his heart, encouraging him to keep stable and not feel what could be compared to a thousand needles in his brain injecting who knows what into it. It was horrible. 

His mother. He could envision her...envision her he did, seeing her figure beside the bed that he almost jumped, gulping at the random sight. Dark, burgundy robes and cowl, with hands positioned as if she was deep in prayer.

Oddly enough, seeing her there did little to ease his pain. He did not feel the same way that Connie seemed to upon her relationship with her parents. Steven never got to properly know his mother or the little cult she was a part of. Was she just hoping for him to do everything for her? For him to reign over everyone? It made little sense and Steven did not wish to rule everyone. He simply desired the freedom of humanity and for Gems to changed their wicked ways.

She appeared to be muttering her prayer under her breath, her lips moving and the whispers escaping from her. Steven honed in on her words, trying to get what she was saying.

_Gaia, grant thy forgiveness on my son._

What?

Oh well, it was another hallucination. What else was new?

_Sins on thy Queens remembered, for tolerance to life on thine shoulders._

_Light for light, but not flesh for flesh._

_Son is child of light and child of flesh_

_My sacrifice is appeasement_

_Of revolution of stance_

_Your rage is my hand._

_So your rage is his._

_Your love is my heart_

_Your love is his heart_

_My gift to you_

_To bypass error_

_Is rage against error and love from our hearts_

The room went a pinker hue as flower petals filled the room. Steven took too much of Amethyst's remedy it seemed. Rose disappeared in a flash of white, as Steven opened his eyes.

Of course he was asleep again. Connie hadn't moved though, desiring to be near him. He wanted her here, to touch him, to make sure what he had was entirely real. As he sat up, she seemed to awaken well. She got up and stretched, yawning before she smiled. A smile that could save his whole world. He rubbed her cheek with the back his hand, assuring her that he was feeling a bit better than he was before. Though left wondering if it was his mothers prayer or Amethyst's special soup that soothed his troubled mind.

He'd gotten up for the first time in days, recognizing the whole room had been covered in books just laying about. Connie was either studying or reading books to Steven. She'd gotten up, taking a shower and invited Steven to join her. There was more strength to him than he realized, nodding as she walked towards the bathroom. As he got up, he noticed a pink book labeled the Psalms of Gaia. Connie must have been reading to him when he was asleep. Hence the hallucination.

Though Steven wasn't up to shenanigans that day, and allowed Connie to clean him as he cleaned her in peace. Though she was a bit concerned due to his state, she never the less took the time and care needed to ensure he was comfortable. 

Once cleaned up and dressed, the pair had gone to the dining room to eat, as Steven felt the weight on his shoulders and the stare from the Gems on his form as he slowly got into his meal. This had been the most lucid he'd been for sometime and it was as if they were waiting for him to do or say something that would the most disconcerting. Although the glare from Connie got them to back off from their too close observations; elbows on tables, leaning in on the anticipation.

Since when did all this sudden tension boil between them with little notice? Steven's...incident was definitely unexpected but he definitely felt something going between the Gems and Connie...or maybe it was just Connie.

He'd distanced (read: dissociated) himself to analyze the overall pattern between themselves and the priestesses and put everything as a mere temple sized issue of misunderstandings...or the complete mess of misconceptions between them. They had the same goal in mind but the paths to get there told them that there was a lot of ground to cover with the relationships they had with each other. Steven sensed Connie's mistrust with them overall. Was it deserved? It was hard to say.

Or it was purely because of what happened that it sent everyone into complete hysteria as to how to handle White's Curse. The Psalms and the Remedies; all to fix a problem they could never really foresee happening. It was generally up to Steven to decide his own fate and path in life and what to take and what to give in return. Suffering was the setback. Steven did not wish to suffer but if that's how it was going to be if Queen White wanted to go in that direction then so be it.

Garnet would say that with the progress they've made that it's made White scared. Which Steven would love to believe to be true, he barely knew White. No one really knew her. Hence the difficulty in finding her true location. Pearl would say nothing as Amethyst appeared aloof about it all. Figures. Though his mothers words echoed in his mind.

_To bypass error_

An idea was actually put forth as Steven imagined both of the weapons they had in their care already; visit one of the other Diamond Queens and force her to reveal where Queen White was hiding and the Temple of Creation. If they could find one, they could find the other, a chain of events put into motion. Errors in the world were the Queens thinking themselves as Gods when all they were were devils in disguise. He thought about visiting Queen Pink but she was such a recluse that getting too her would be too much trouble. So, he decided to try one of the other two.

Steven knew the location of Queen Blue's Compound and suggested heading there with her weapon, the Weeper of Miseria in order to defeat her. He'd been outside of it, at least but never inside. Said to be more of a paradise to some of the humans there. He was determined despite his curse that would threaten to be his own reckoning.

Running back into his room, he was hard at work getting his gear organised. The Third Compound was to the north east of the Fourth so he wouldn't lack for direction. Connie was a bit perturbed as to this sudden burst of energy that Steven obtained from somewhere (Amethyst's soup?) and badly wanted to question it. But alas...it was good nevertheless to see him up and about.

The Priestesses didn't really want him to leave but he had to do this and with Connie by his side, he was ready. A moment he had longed so much for and his eagerness to right centuries old wrongs gave him back his old spark.e.

As soon as they had walked out of the Temple and were on they were on their way however...they noticed the Priestesses had come out too, clad in their own travelling gear.

They were going to travel with them, much to Steven's surprise.


	31. The Third Compound Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven travels with the Crystal Priestess to find Queen Blue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People are asking questions about...certain things. I know. It is going to be addressed. Just wait and see...

It was hard to believe this started a few months ago. When everything started off so simple but with little to go on but a simple hunt to find the Temple of Obsidian, but then it came to the point where they were finally getting somewhere...closer to the ideal goal of saving the world.

Steven was hesitant to kill but...like with the monsters, this was the only way. The Diamonds had proven themselves to be selfish, cruel and careless to everything else but themselves. Indulgent of their own desires and content to allow all other organic life to die.

When his life was miserable as it was within the Pink Compound, anything and everything was better to have that wasn't run down but then again he'd come to expect the same type of dullness, with everything fresh, new, clean and colourful to either to be just another dream or fantasy or it was something to be wary of...aspects run by the Diamond Queens themselves or those who serve them.

Flight or fight responses, triggered by such visuals. Such as the Diamond Gates to the Third Compound.

The group kept their distance on a nearby cliff, looking onto the fancy blue gates that had two Topaz Guards near it. BC-3 was written in fancy lettering on the front of it and the tall, biege walls of concrete surrounded it, with massive glass domes on top of it, spreading as far as the eye could see, until one huge white tower sat at the back.

Garnet scanned the premise, trying to find an entry point that didn't alert the guards. But then had an idea. To Steven's surprise, she unfused. Garnet had been hesitant to do so, with signs of her discomfort apparent while they had been walking previously. Pearl had to explain that Garnet had used to serve Queen Blue in the past or her components did. But she was going to fight back for the sake of the worlds freedom and inspiration drawn from his mother. If only Steven could do the same for himself.

Sapphire herself was a short Gem but commanded an aura of respect while Ruby was generally a hothead by design that adored Sapphire, only subdued by her lovers words. Their plan would allow them to get into the Compound and deal with Blue Diamond with ease. Or at least, get to Blue herself.

Part of their plan involved Sapphire returning to the Compound with two humans found outside of the Compound that were children of previous escapees that were unfortunately killed. But through the efforts of the Ruby and the Amethyst, they were able to capture these refugees whom they believed Queen Blue would fine worthy to add to her collection.

Whether or not the guards believed the tale, it was all they could do. Steven didn't like to lie, but if this was the only way, then he was down for it...as was Connie.

The first obstacle was the long approach to the Diamond Gates. The vigilant Topazs, one on the left and one on the right with their maces, their eyes fixated on the group. Sapphire lead them with Pearl by her side as Amethyst had shapeshifted into a Quartz Warrior and held both Steven and Connie with their hands behind their backs. It brought back horrible memories from Steven's life in the Pink Compound.

"Hold it!"

Above the tall gate was a large Gem of blue. Pointy horn like hair with tight white and clothes and blue skin and high black boots. An Agate, no doubt. Steven for some reason, didn't understand why Agate-type Guards preferred boots. She jumped off the ledge and landed in front of them. Her clothes were more akin to those of a higher ranking shoulder with thick shoulder pads.

"A Sapphire returns to us."

Steven knew of an Agate that lived in the Pink Compound. Professional Butt kissers, if he wasn't mistaken. Took glory in berating their subordinates. 

"Yes. She does." Sapphire answered.

"We have coming baring gifts for Queen Blue."

The Agate examined both Steven and Connie up and down...pretending to be angry to be there. They were, but there was a difference between anger from vengeance and anger from despair.

"They certainly look healthy." She commented.

"We'll need to take them in for processing before we can let them find their new jobs."

Sapphire raised her hand.

"I will guide them for you Agate." She said.

They didn't need another breathing down their neck.

"Oh it isn't a problem my Clarity." The Agate said with irritating chirp.

Oh boy....

"I insist on escorting you. Some of these humans can be quite feral. Need to make sure they stay in line."

* * *

They honestly had little choice in the matter. Holly Blue, was her name. It'd been a while since a Sapphire had returned to the Compound since of them had in fact been taken by certain groups to hunt down relics or even humans. They were well respected within Queen Blue's Quarter. Without kicking too much of a fuss, they followed her. 

The gates slid open, revealing the interior of the Compound.

The top of the glass domes revealed a blue sky, which dumbfounded both of the humans. Is that what it looked like?

Holly Blue walked them down, telling them that the sky is merely a projection of what it was once. Even for a facsimile, it was quite impressive. It wouldn't trigger deeper feelings but now they had expectations to look forward to.

The main strip was of a cream and white colored marble path and the general design of the Compound had the same mapped out buildings and paths like the Pink Compound, except it was much nicer. Green fauna and living trees with actual leaves were dotted along the sidewalks. Humans, wearing blue robes and loin clothes, examined the dirty group with disgust. Their hair, nicely done. The first part of the humans processing would be to clean them.

Sapphire had to make up a story about how the children originated from the Pink Compound batch of humans, hence the dirtiness. Their general health and astute quality scores had their eligible for a higher ranking spot within the next compound up.

Steven did hear about the ranking system between the Compounds themselves, hence the matches in the Arena dictating positions. Jasper held him back on purpose, not wanting to let go of him. Or else he'd probably be at this Compound or even the Second Compound for his combat skills if what chatter he heard was right.

The ranks went from health, to combat to intelligence. Whom were considered to be stupid, weak and poor would always land on Queen Pinks domain, whom from her general lack of care, just...well, didn't care.

Queen Blue's humans were treated a little bit better. Some were still beaten up if they stepped out of line, but these people seemed content on being here. The buildings were top notch too. White like the Towers with blue doors and windows.

They came to center of the Compound which revealed a huge gigantic fountain where a lot of the humans here liked to chat and talk. More guards hung around but all went to attention with the Diamond Salute as Holly came past. Steven could feel the eyes on him, bringing about nerves before Connie took his hand to comfort him. There were so many and yet, there wasn't a great deal of tension to be felt in this place. 

Holly eventually dropped them off at the Processing Center. A huge building that checked on the true health of the humans. They were watched by Guards. But Sapphire, ever the clever one, had better ideas.

"Holly, while you're here, do you mind escorting us to Queen Blue? We would like to speak to her." She said.

A sentence alone that had Steven's heart racing.

"Oh? Yes of course. I'm sure she'll love to hear your report. Come with me."

* * *

The plan was to let the Gems scout out the situation with Blue, as Steven and Connie made preparations to act like one of the humans and eventually infiltrate. To help, Amethyst was left behind to take them through the processing center and promised to be on the other side when they came out.

The room they were in was brightly lit up with sets of nice wooden chairs with blue decor in what was the waiting room with a small inbuilt kiosk with a small blue gem inside; an Aquamarine if Steven recalled correctly. Arrogant Gems. But the brighter design of this place was a nicer version of the clinics back in his Compound, but memories of that clinic weren't entirely positive. Nor was the Aquamarine there a pleasant being either.

He felt his skin heat up, presumably the curse trying to make him sick. He wasn't one to get sick all that often, if not at all. He took a deep breath and tried to keep it all in, knowing that being sick meant he could be kicked out. Connie would get through but not him.

Amethyst took care of their stuff while they were being analyzed. They checked Connie first with another Aquamarine flying in from the nearby hallway with a white coat on. Steven was hesitant at first but went with the flow as required. If they ever dared to harm Connie...

It only took about ten minutes tops until Connie was released, wearing the same kind of robes and garb as those outside. She touched an ear to where she'd been pierced with strange, purple-blue earrings and hissed. Steven gave her a once over, taking her shoulders and diving his around her body. Connie had to assure him that she was fine, giving him a simple smile to tell him everything was okay. The only difference was that she now had a tattoo on the back of her neck, signifying that she now belonged to Queen Blue. Funnily enough she was labeled as 888. Not for long though, not for long.

Relief for that moment, turned to him embracing her. She would wait for him, though, he was more worried they'd find out what he was. He took a deep breath, going in there and with hope, there had to be some way to convince the one inside to let matters slide.

The Aquamarine lead him into a private room with all sorts of medical equipment. Inside was a tall gem, their square stone on their chest. The only other notable feature he could put out besides their blue hue, was the monocle on their face.

"Sit down." She said.

A Zircon.

She ran rests on his blood, his sweat and his urine, before he was told to strip. He gulped.

"Relax, you don't have anything I haven't seen on a human male before." She said, sounding so apathetic.

Steven did so, as he began to panic. He turned away and began to strip, turning his back towards her as he slowly took everything off. He didn't want to begin to think of the reaction she would have once she saw his gem, so he placed his hand on his gut, hoping she wouldn't ask him to move it. He waited, anxious as she tested his fluids on her machines, her mind focusing more on the results than the naked man before her.

She then stood up, though was silent. Steven gulped, waiting for her to say something. Anything.

"You originally came from the Pink Compound...interesting." Zircon said. He could feel her breath near his neck, forcing him to shiver.

"Seven One Nine...reports on you are numerous."

Oh boy...Steven made a fist, pursed his lips. If he had to knock her out and escape with no more less than his pride beaten then so be it. It would buy them a bit of time if need be.

"Okay turn."

He did so, still holding on to his stomach. Zircon analyzed more than he felt comfortable with, her gaze on different parts of his body.

"Queen Blue's had her eye on you for years. Did you know that?"

Steven wanted to react. He wanted to make the first throw and just run. But then Zircon went to the fridge and took out a blue bottle of sorts and chucked it to him as he grabbed it with his spare hand.

"Drink it. You'll feel better."

Steven's brows furrowed in suspicion to what the Zircon was giving him. Rightfully so.

"It's a liquid with anti-magical properties. Cleanses any kind of curse, hex or charm. The Queens make it a habit to have their own accord to have new imports cleaned inside and out."

Was it really that simple? Would it take away White's Curse?

"Your tests ran rampant with several charms and curses. Normal spells conducted by members of the Corundum Coven and Cult Witch Doctors. The type you see with those born in Compounds then flee to Old God Worshippers. But you have...traces of a stronger magic within you. Nothing I've ever seen before. I don't think you're an ordinary human, but it could just mean you're in prime condition. Heh. No wonder why Queen Blue wanted you so bad. Soon you'll have Queen Yellow wanting a piece if you keep your performances up."

A matter he'd been made aware of., given his victories in the Arena. The way the Zircon then looked at him with great interest scared him a little, like he was some kind of artifact with its secrets yet to be cracked open and discovered. Though she looked more beleaguered than anything as he held the bottle in his hand.

"Just drink it please, it's not going to kill you."

Would he believe that? He did so, taking off the lid with his teeth and spitting the lid on the floor, much to Zircons dismay. After a brief slice of hesitation, he drank the whole thing. Wasn't the worst tasting liquid in the world but...if it helped.

"Finally. Now turn back around, I need to re-register your code."

Steven did so as Zircon used scanners on the back of his neck. A lot of the codes according to what he'd heard Jasper explain some time ago was that there was a consistency across all Compounds in case of any transfers. Just to make sure their dark system functioned the way they wanted it to.

As for the spells and enchantment side of things? Yeah aware of that too. Ways to control the humans and was also for the Coven to experiment on a select few to make sure their magic worked properly. Steven was lucky he'd never had to suffer that aspect but a few humans did.

"You'd be surprised how similar Witch Doctors and Coven Gems spells are. Anything from controlling population numbers, simple geas for the weaker minded and the stuff that thankfully you don't have to experience while you're here Seven One Nine. As long as you behave yourself at least."

Steven knew enough of that in his experiences from the Pink Compound. Mandatory check ups on different points in their lives from birth to death.

He was confused as to her earlier statement, however. Queen Blue had her eyes on him but Zircon refused to acknowledge anything further on the topic. Something was up and Steven didn't like it.

"You'll have your meeting with your respective governing Coven Gem for your new circulatory charms before you get your allocated duties. Expect these ones to have better quality than those awfully weak in quality ones from Compound Four. For now, please go into the Sanitizer machine here. It will clean you up and give you your new clothes."

Zircon thankfully paid little attention as Steven was brought in to the machine, sprayed on with high pressure water in every nook and cranny, then flash dried while machines gave him his new clothes and earrings. The robes covered his gem, so he didn't have to cover his gut anymore.

* * *

Not long after he'd come out, seeing Connie standing there, still waiting for him with a smile on her face. The only sight he really wanted to see these days, that was worth suffering ten minutes of awkwardness and dealing with a chatty Zircon to boot. She had to go through the same ordeal, though didn't have to hide much, only needing to begin to understand what it was like to live in a Compound. General behaviors were different however in this place, so he wasn't sure how they were going to be treated while they were here. Hopefully not long.

They met up with Amethyst outside the door who started to laugh at their robes. Steven went red, not entirely keen on wearing this. But irregardless, their plan was still in place.

The next thing they had to do now that they were considered residents of Compound Three, was that the process for them was to be escorted to the place where the Corundum Coven would be located to get their new charms. This way, they could get protective charm from a particular Coven Gem they knew well enough. But that had to be dealt with later, if they remembered. They of course, had other, pressing matters to attend to.

The Compound was homely enough and Steven could admit that he'd least likely would have escaped from Compound Four if this was anything like this one. It didn't smell horrible for one and it had a fresher atmosphere. The trees were probably his favorite part.

He walked over and touched a single leaf, then leaned over to smell it. The Temple of Obsidian had its fair share but nothing like this. It had a minty pine scent, with a touch of honey, according to what Amethyst could describe. Trees of old that she could still remember from a long time ago.

Maybe they could find vanilla while they were here.

However, Steven's attention then went a familiar pink boy who had walked past. Time felt like it slowed down as he examined him closely. Realization dawned on him.

The boy from the arena?

Though going from his dull expression of disinterest, he didn't appear to recognize Steven, instead wearing the uniform like some of the other Quartz Warriors.

Something didn't feel right..his previous feelings of concern returning in full force.

Amethyst lead them towards the huge tower in the back, to where the others had gone to. There was huge garden filled with other humans tending to them, with different flowers and plants being grown in batches as other Quartz Warriors watched over them. Other feelings dug into him, such as doubt which he could not afford right now. He had to be vigilant with a surefire cause. This plan was insane to begin with, but they had little else to go on. Suicide, maybe but if it meant being one step closer to their goal then Steven was going to make that sacrifice.

So as they made it to great blue doors of the Diamond tower before them, Amethyst knocked three times.

Here was hoping, they weren't making a huge mistake in coming here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to point out how funny it is to imagine Steven covering his gem instead of his privates like a normal person would.  
ALSO! Fanart from Nymphie with Zircon and Steven!  
https://imgur.com/SFqSHTj


	32. The Third Compound Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter, Queen Blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uber sorry for the delays, I had writers block but I do promise some interesting chapters very soon that some of you might enjoy.  
A topic brought up by a few that I figured out how to implement at last so please look forward to the next few chapters!

All seemed quiet, strangely enough.

They were lead inside of the Tower with its interior far too fancy with its tall ceilings and massive steps towards the top. That's where they where they needed to be.

Steven felt the chill as Connie followed behind him. Nagging sensations all the while telling him something of uncertainty and the lack of clarity.

Amethyst had spoken with the Guards saying that they were needed up top to chat to Queen Blue. More Quartz Warriors she could talk the talk with. Get them to stand by if necessary. Back at the temple she had mentioned something along the lines of something unusual that had happened back at the Fourth Compound that no one could quite figure out the real truth behind. Rumors went around quite a bit, especially when it came to the shifting among the guards some years ago, all hush hush and stories that just went no where. All they could really agree on was the common belief something horrible went on there but that was about it, disappointingly.

Amethyst-Class Quartz Warriors especially, with majority lingering with Queen Blue for what ever reason. But, the Crystal Priestess Amethyst had her connections, which made this a lot more easier for them to infiltrate without much hassle.

In the that lead up the stairs to the main chamber, it allowed Steven to summarize what he had known so far.

The Towers of White; each of them containing their own individual Diamond Queen.

He hadn't originally planned on taking Blue down before Pink, so it would appear to be despite Steven wanting to take her down for years now. But it was what it was. The Third Compound's facilities appeared far more accommodating than the Fourths; signs of his Curse clearing up due to the Zircons Cleansing Tonic. He was supposed to get new Charms but they cared little for that now. But from her comments alone, he could probably agree with her that those Charms would be of a better quality.

They'd stopped at a large round part half way up, where Amethyst had taken them both to the back panel which had a mural of sorts. A mosaic of Queen Blue kneeling down and reaching out for the mirror in the middle and the symbol of the Drop on the Moon that Steven recognized from his visions. His eyes drifted downwards towards his gut, feeling the phantom pain of the swords stabbing once more.

Amethyst placed a hand a hidden panel, which held both the mirror and the sword, given the former to Steven and the later to Connie respectively. A lot of the Quartzes here Amethyst knew, the priestess being able to fish things inside due to her aforementioned connections.

They eventually got to the top, looking at the huge blue stone doors with various carvings and markings on it. A powerful feeling struck through Steven; knowing this was one day of many, after so long, that he got the chance to even get this close to a Diamond Queen. Beyond the envy of others, this had him both feeling anxious with anticipation.

It had to be done. The eternal sinners would need their eternity in the damnation for what they had done and for this would need to be a victory or else. A Diamond Queen was exceptional powerful so Steven had to be careful not to get overly confident. He was sweating from nerve and unsure of what the power of the mirror would even do to Blue, let alone any of the other weapons over all. He held it in his hands, hearing its minimal volume of whispers that were in another language.

Steven stood there and took a deep breath. It was time.

He kicked the doors open with as much force as he could muster as he and Connie marched forward, with the other Gems before Queen Blue, wearing all of her fancy, glistening garbs, whom was shocked by the display. The room was huge with hues of blue all over the place with fountains on each side but it gave of a small chill otherwise in a crystalline, shiny hall that reminded Steven of the old, dry, dirty and worn churches he'd come across in his travels.

Steven came storming in, stomping as the pair stood together, their glare on the tall Gem with Connie pointing the sword towards the Queen; one described with poise, elegance, beauty with the sheer thrill for manipulation, but otherwise was honestly known to be the least violent of the four. Surprising, but that was a definite truth. One of four, one no more.

"What is the meaning of this treachery?" Blue questioned.

She could only watch as the Ruby and Sapphire refused into Garnet, with Pearl pulling out her spear and Amethyst her whip. They let Steven take care of things here.

"You might remember me from the Death Match, your majesty." Steven called out as he summoned his shield.

Blue then returned the glare as she stood up from her mighty throne, her tall form serving to intimidate.

"Oh yes I remember." She said, her voice low and cold.

"The boy with the powers of our kind; I would ask how you dared to possess such a thing, if only you swear yourself to me, then you might be spared."

As if. Steven was beyond that.

"Never. You and the Diamond Queens have poisoned this world long enough."

A devil in the darkness with the spark in her eye, the Diamond Queen held nothing more than ire for the man whom had the potential to topple their precious empire. Steven could sense it, feel it, her own power charging up as a glow surrounded her body.

The combat was chaotic as Queen Blue preferred to keep herself at a distance, melting into a pool of water and slithering herself to keep a few paces away from the group. Once she reformed, she summoned blue spheres and shot them towards the team, as Steven threw up his shield to defend them from the oncoming blast. Pearl was the first to dodge away and attempted to shoot at Blue herself, but if Steven's adept knowledge of the Diamond Queens were accurate, they were pretty powerful and endured a lot, with most of their power coming from the Gods themselves, both protecting them with a thin film of the Gods Aura around their forms and their incredible strength to lay waste to their enemies. Luckily, they knew to dodge oncoming attacks, anticipating that even a single strike would send them flying around in just their single gem forms.

Steven and Connie ended up fusing into Stevonnie, using both the sword and the shield as Blue continued with her assault, expressing her distaste for tainted fusions. A lot of sliding, diving, weaving around as well as swinging swords and weapons. Blue wasn't slow, but she wasn't all that fast. All that stolen Godly power of endurance, of stamina...even with the combined forces it took a lot of effort. From Amethyst's whips and Garnets gauntlets...they needed to do something to bring her down, though with increasing mental strength, Stevonnie had a plan.

Syncing in with the other gems, they had Amethyst curl her whips around Blue's legs as Garnet leaped up and punched her in the face, causing her some dismay and confusion. Pearl on the other hand and jumped up and put a spear around her neck and forced her back while Amethyst continued to pull her under, forcing her to fall on her back. The others jumped away as Stevonnie hopped on to her chest, defusing as Connie had the sword to her neck. Steven on the meanwhile pulled out the mirror and showed it to Blue, who did not seem to like looking at it, at all, turning her head away from it like it was blinding her with its light.

"T-the Sword....the mirror..." Blue gasped. Pearl had put her spear back pointed towards Blue's neck as well.

Fear entrenched on those big wells for eyes.

"Are those really your last words_ heretic_?" Pearl taunted.

Heretic. The original Godslayers the Diamonds were foretold to be. The ever lasting tale of the thieves of life, the takers of water and the usurpers of light. The nicknames said among the Compound, the tellers in the tales of the old books written by the Gaian Knights and beyond. Steven couldn't help but wonder, what really drove them to commit the Unforgiving Sin, other than a lust for power. It couldn't be that simple, surely.

It was then Blue's weary eyes latched on to Steven's, his world phasing out as it was just herself and him all of a sudden; out of reality and back into the speckled dark dream of subtle chimes. It felt familiar in a way that drove Steven's very heartbeat to increase. The way that Blue looked upon him. Not amazed or stunned...but of an opaque acceptance.

"You...you are really are _hers_ aren't you?" Blue asked, her voice echoing across the void.

Steven nodded firmly, no further words escaping his lips. He could pity Blue...and in a way, he did not despise her. She was the softest out of the four despite the contrary. For the world to heal, she needed to die, even if Steven did not like to do it. A real shame. But regret would not be the feeling to dissuade Steven from doing this incredibly crucial ordeal. Only confusion.

"Then...you are...cursed to share a similar....UGH!"

Reality snapped back as Connie and Pearl shoved their respective weapons into Blue's body, dissipating her form completely.

* * *

A wave of power fled from the room as all Steven could really do was stand there, trying to figure out what Blue meant as Garnet approached Blue's giant gem, picking it up and examining it thoroughly. The next phase was incredibly important, given they had little time to lose in the wake of battle they had just won. Not resting on their laurels, they were required to do a specific ritual that Pearl had planned.

From what Steven had learned from their time in the Temple, Pearl was knowledgeable in the process of creating Gems; that is to say the alchemical process of their making required drawing on both known, specific materials and energies to mold Gems. That was the old original process until the Human-Gem destroyed most of the Kindergarten or Summoning Temples.

However, there was also a process for permanently destroying specific Gems; namely a Diamonds. According to records left behind by Steven's mother, Pearl had been told that Diamonds could not be crushed the conventional way, due to the immense, stolen God power that hardened their Gems significantly to the point where no amount of physical punishment could even scratch them. So, Rose had designed a way to destroy Diamonds with a different method.

A magical method.

Pearl brought out a piece of pink-red chalk from her Gem and drew numerous circles, lines and foreign words and letters on the marble flooring; mapped the same way as the Summoning Circles in the Temples were generally designed to be, albeit with different inscriptions. Pearl then took the mirror from Steven and placed it on the floor, within a smaller circle, then took Blue's Gem and placed it on another circle beside it. Steven's eyes traveled the lines between, noticing the third circle empty but locked in a triangular way within it. He's never seen this before so what was going to happen, it had to happen quick, before anyone would realize what they had just done.

Steven was intrigued by this new event, although he didn't quite understand. Pearl, however took the command of the whole process, taking Steven and directing him on what he had to do. Given his usual absorb a Gems power ability, he would be the one to absorb Blue's essence. However, the ritual was also designed for much than destroying Diamonds as Steven would soon discover.

Placing Steven in on the third smaller circle, Pearl stood back behind the circle and put her hands together and started to mutter something under her breath. The runes underneath began to glow, with the mirror and Blue's Gem rising up slowly. Steven looked down, noting that he too, began to float in the air. The glows turned into flashes of light as both the mirror and the gem began to circle Steven as a mystical breeze spiraled upwards.

Pearl's chants were in the old Gem Glyph language from what he could hear, but all that turned to Steven again, being transported into what he could now call the Speckled Realm; the dark places of floating sparkles and spirits. Queen Blue's empowered spirit rose up from her gem as the Mirror came to meet it. The spirit of the Gem, with the water wings within its silhouette, to arise as well. It practically lunged itself towards the Diamond and tangled with it, as the two combined and burst into fluttering light too bright for Steven's eyes to handle, causing him to shield them with his arms. 

Once it was done, all that was left was the Mirror's Spirit to...smile at Steven, throwing its arms around his neck to hug him, their lips against his ear with a simple two word whisper;

"Thank you..." 

It fully embraced Steven as he felt the mass amounts of power pour into his gem alone. The pain was excruciating, causing him to hold his gut as he grunted in agony, seeing flashing images of the Mirror Spirit's true form....a beautiful Blue Gem with a flowing dress that was being tortured in chains and tried to break free of her confines...while stuck in a similar runic circle like Steven was.

Once all was said and done, Steven fell to his knees and hands, panting and trying to get his head around on what just happened. Connie ran over to help him on his feet, concerned.

He was...okay, patting her head and trying to find his ground again. Once he got his breath back, he stood up tall with Connie by his side, staring at Pearl all the while who had a small, if not smug smile on her face, satisfied of their success. For now, however, it wouldn't be long until word spread of Queen Blue's demise; sure to cause havoc within the Empire and retaliation from the other three Queens. 

The group fled from the Tower as fast as they could, but Amethyst couldn't help but notice a garden of Vanilla beans that she had always sought, stealing a bunch before they left the Compound entirely. But overall...

It was done. Queen Blue was no more.

Three more to go.


	33. Growth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their success against Queen Blue, Amethyst finally gets to cook something she's been wanting to make for years, while Steven learns about a special type of garden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's just say I did some research into flowers (although with a bit of digging to understand tbh) before I wrote this chapter...I hope you're ready...  
Because it's gonna get intense.

By the time they had gotten back to the Temple of Obsidian, through all the heavy resistance which had them dodging left and right, the word had already gone out that Queen Blue was dead.

Steven could scarcely believe it himself, that what he had set out to do, had finally taken it's first steps. Although, he wasn't really happy about it. Should he be?  
He felt a bit different, although it might have been Blue's last words before she was poofed that he couldn't quite collect in full. He tried to shake it off as nothing, but otherwise felt a large weight come off of his shoulders in the mean time.

It was difficult to discern when much had been fought for already so...there was no way Steven would turn away. Already the world felt a bit lighter with Blue's demise. The Faded World became clearer, fresher with just one success on their end. Hopefully one of many to come. But for now they could rest on their laurels, celebrating a huge win on their end that proved that, well, the Diamond Queens weren't as infallible as people believed them to be. Gods that indeed, could be killed. Or they were proven to be false Gods, depending on ones interpretation.

It would also prove to provide hope to those who felt trapped in the Compounds and bring fear and doubt to Gems who would dare oppose them. While it was important not to get cocky, it was an important step towards the true goal, easing some of their concerns. Whether or not that was the hardest step hadn't been decided...but it was certainly one of the most crucial to pass.

To celebrate their victory, Amethyst with her new found excitement that she had finally got to procure some Vanilla from the Third Compound, finally got to make some of the things she's been reading up about for years but never had the ingredients in order to bake them. Cakes....and cup cakes.

Under great enthusiasm, she went to straight to work...as Steven as her assistant. Although, the Maheswarans had gotten to him prior, telling him that it might be good to study up on Gaian Knight Lore and Superstitions, his focus two-fold in the mean time. One was pacing around the kitchen, with Amethyst asking him to grab certain kitchen tools as he went around. Secondly he was enraptured by some of the Omens that the Gaian Knights used to use back in the day.

They believed in protecting and celebrating life was part of their creed; being blessed with the gifts of Gaia and what the God had provided to them day in and day out. They also used to use flowers as a way to predict the future. Sapphires; specifically those under the Gaian Knights, used to own small cottages protected by Ruby guards, dotted in the Southern Landscapes, doting on fantastic gardens. They would have one small, enclosed garden with different sections, even those with little ponds for any aquatic plants. These small Gardens were supposedly enchanted with special magic that would grow different flowers; each with their own meaning that the Sapphires would use to tell the future.

Steven became so fascinated and entranced into the book, that he wasn't paying any attention when Amethyst asked him to get a particular ingredient from the far cupboard, grabbing a small pink bottle on his route and handed to Amethyst, who wasn't paying attention either as she was busy triple checking the recipe book she was reading. Steven would then, on auto-pilot, put the bottle back. He made a point to possibly ask Garnet whether or not she had one of her own gardens.

With that, Amethyst had begun to put the cakes and cupcakes into the ovens; thanking Steven for his assistance and that she would call him when they were ready. For now, he would speak to Garnet to know more about her life with the Gaian Knights and whether or not she herself owned a Magical Garden.

Garnet of course, was happy to oblige, taking him into her abode for the moment to show him her little Garden. Going around to the back of her room, he gasped at all the vines and the general chaos of things that the garden had become. He'd expected a series of flowers, not several broken lamps, dripping water and barely a flower to show for it. The room was an absolute mess.

"I'm sorry it's not to your expectations." Garnet explained with a frown.

"Sapphire wasn't originally a Gaian Knight. Your mother tried to teach me how to tend to the Garden, but since I was under Queen Blue's Command, Sapphires reside at a special palace that never had any gardens so she wasn't Gardener material. I gave up a while ago, having difficulty in maintaining it myself. Never been back here since."

It was something Steven felt like he had to change. He knelt down, picking up a vine and examining it. The books explained how each Garden was usually quite personable to the Sapphires that looked after them. Steven, however, felt like it was something they could potentially use. It was described as Ancient Magic that Garnet could never really understand (although going from her dull tones alone, it was apparent that she had zero interest in it) but it would be amazing to see if they could get it to work.

"Do you mind if I try? I mean, I know it's a Sapphires job to do so and I don't want to offend or step on any boundaries." He asked.

Garnet shrugged and smiled.

"By all means. We can move it to your room if you so wish. I do not mind."

Garnet helped him out with bringing the plantations to his room, using the Temples magic to construct another room offset from his own. Next to the Bathroom, another door was made, namely, the Greenhouse.

It was small but it would be enough. Given time, Steven had hoped to grow some plants of his own. Looking at the book again, the Magical Garden had three sections. The Aqua section, the Mild Section and the Dry Section, cut into three rectangular phases. One for the water plants, one for the plants which may need a bit of watering and the other was more for the ones of the arid selection which didn't need much watering; thriving on drier climates. The key to a successful Magical Garden was a special Gaian Seed, enchanted by Gaia blessed Sapphires themselves. They already had the seed, from what Garnet explained that Rose gave it to her and was already deep beneath the soil.

Steven was extremely keen to learn about the different ways this could work. He would have something to look forward to doing when this was all over...

When...it was over...

"STEVEN!"

He snapped out of his trance as Amethyst called his name. He'll have to work on that later on, putting the book on the nearby bench and making sure it was on the same page so he could return, putting a leaf on the page so it didn't move.

* * *

Everyone congregated into the dining room, as Steven became enthused to try out Amethyst's cakes. She felt like she would start with something basic for now, not wanting to put all the waist to her precious vanilla beans before she's had the chance to try out the big stuff. She had plans to grow more if her cakes ended up being successful enough. Even Doug and Priyanka came out to join them, sitting opposite to Steven and Connie at the dining table.

Pearl and Garnet were elsewhere however, since they had other priorities but that just meant more cake for the rest of them. Amethyst seemed quite pleased with how they came out, bringing out huge plates. The first one she put down was a round sponge cake with simple vanilla icing. She served each of them a slice and watched on with a massive grin as Steven took the first bite. The softness, the creaminess and the sweetness...all simply divine.

"This is great Amethyst!" Steven complimented.

The others ended up trying it out too...with the same results. Delicious. Just as Amethyst hoped they were.

Once they were done with the cake brought out the small cupcakes. Tinier versions with the icing of the pinkish swirl variety.

"The books don't say the icing should be pink but I did a bit of a taste test and it should be amazing!" She assured.

The fact that it was pink didn't bother Steven, but actually made it more alluring. He looked at the Maheswarans, letting them have the first snag. Priyanka smiled, taking the first cup cake for herself. She took a single bit, as her eyes went wide.

"Oh wow thish is really goosh..." She said with her mouth full, before swallowing.

"Doug you gotta try this."

Her husband took the next one, mimicking the motions, including the glint of pure bliss in his eyes.

"Oh wow...you're right. This is goosh." He said.

Which went to show that everything they had achieved so far was worth this incredibly powerful moment with friends and family, which had Steven wish his Dad were here to join them on this revelation that cakes were the best things in the world right now. It was then Steven and Connie, who took one look at each other with the biggest grins, before they snapped up a cup cake each for themselves, chowing it down its flavorsome texture. Amethyst had since returned back to the kitchen to clean up, content with their reactions.

Though, not long after, Connie's parents both went red in the face, swallowing down the last pieces as sweat rolled down their faces. They took one look at each other and gritted their teeth, as Priyanka began to fan herself. 

It wasn't long until she stood up straight.

"Well, that was delicious...." She commented with strain.

"Doug and I are...going to do some more research..."

It was then she took Doug's hand and forced him to come with her into their room, before slamming the door shut. Steven found that very odd to witness.

He shrugged, thinking it was nothing more than their over excitement getting them all hot and bothered...until Steven himself felt the same which hit him with a strange pang. It started off at the top of his neck, the electrical charge that ran down to the base of his spine. It was more of a cold sweat that over took him more so as he struggled to get through the last few bites before he swallowed hard. He rubbed his neck, feeling a new type of energy beginning to flow through his veins like fire.

He wasn't tired, far from it, however moving took great effort, but he then gave one look at Connie and suddenly it spiked something so high with himself, watching a drop roll down her cheek as she finished up her cupcake. Steven bit his lip, his eyes slowly going from top to bottom. A new hunger arose from deep within as he clung on to his shirt, the pinch from down below starting to make waves. He was beginning to swelter as well.

Connie herself finished up, but looked like she was struggling to combat a potentially similar feeling within herself, trying her darnest to remain composed but had the odd twitch here and there. Her eyelids were half-down, pressing the napkin against lips Steven found more appealing than usual. He began to breathe heavily, his focus on her and her alone and his mind sent into a vortex of thoughts he's found himself running through, ideas. Ideas of what he could do...to Connie.

Connie's eyes slowly went to Steven, his own expression, his mouth left gasping for more oxygen and giving her the most steely, haunting but powerful gaze he could muster, under the string thin control he had right now. Connie knew this because she herself was feeling the same, painful way, with the hottest part down there. There was no denying how hard it had her heart pumping, wanting to escape through her tightened throat. She scratched her fingers against the table, trying to pierce through one single and sensible line of thought through the static of her thoughts on Steven...he was too clothed, for one. Which annoyed her greatly, so that had to change and it had to change _very_ soon.

His hand shifted, at an agonizingly slow, stuttered pace to hers, his own head lowered through the weight of his brash brain, knuckling down on anything that wasn't the heated steam of thinking about how much he could....he would...no...not here. Too embarrassing for one. The batteries in the controls were low and what they had to do...what they wanted to do, was to spearhead what restraint they had left and utilize it so they could...

Steven was the first to shoot up, snatching Connie's hand. She didn't resist, as they ran out of the dining room in the greatest of hastes.

* * *

They'd gone to their room and made sure to lock the door, but then they couldn't help themselves as Steven lifted Connie up and slammed her against the door. That was fine; Connie had no patience for being gentle right now. Steven started kissing her passionately; quickened between heightened gasps and less than subtle moans as they began to fumble to undress each other, flinging off bits of clothing while Steven wanted to press his lips against every part of her skin and then some, preferring its sweetened taste. They muttered each others names in hushed whispers, their hunger for one another beyond anything they had ever felt before.

Once they were free from their restraints Steven had every intention to bring Connie to the bed, only that in his rush as they couldn't keep off of each other, with lips, fingers and hands everywhere, tripped over the edge of the rug and ended up on with his back on the rug, with Connie's body planting hard against it. It wouldn't matter, as they kept feeling each others bodies with Steven rapidly rubbing his thumb over her breasts and her nipples, with Connie ended up crying for more.

"To-touch me....please I _need_ it..."

Her pleas would not got ignored, as tongues dived into mouths, with whines and devouring the air became the norm. Connie then started kissing his neck, to his chest, rubbing his constantly blinking Gem all the while, causing him to groan out of the best kind of agonizing pleasure he could have felt from her very hand sending shocks through him.

"Oh yes...touch it, touch it right there oh _geez._.ughn....rub it faster come _on_..." Steven urged between grunts.

Connie wanted more than to please him...she wanted to give him much more than that, suckling his neck as rubbed her palm and fingers all over his gem, causing him moan loudly. A devilish grin crept up on her face, her eyes towards his hardened member and thinking of it more so...

With every touch so profound, like tiny explosions leaving them seared on their skin, in their wake, had Connie so _wet_ that she just wanted him...

"Come on....I want _you_...I want you so bad...to...to the bed...let's...let's....oh...." She called in their desperate struggles.

On command Steven rolled over quickly, taking Connie up off the floor, picking her up and tossed her on to the bed with his mighty Quartz strength, much to her giggling amusement for the fun ride. Splayed out on the bed, soaking and leaving Connie to run her fingers on her chest, her face lost in the haze of her lust, eyes still half lulled as she bit her lip, she could see Steven storm towards the bed with absolute purpose, his eyes glowing and his form strong. If there was anything more perfect than this, Connie didn't want to hear it. She kept her a close look on him as he jumped on the bed, growling as shuffled his way to have his hands beside her. He wasn't angry but to anyone else he might be, with the scowl on his face only the facade to the depths of his enlightened spirit, with the world around them not mattering at this point...he was her world and she was his.

He made a quick growl as he didn't hesitate to enter inside of her, which sent Connie into that nice thin, fragile line with bliss and torment, as Steven pumped into her like it was the last thing he could do in this fragment of existence. Either felt like they could die if they couldn't get to taste or touch or feel one another. Connie wanted that slow burn normally but now she couldn't take it anymore, craving those stars she's seen so many times before, but with more colour, for them to more vivid that they had even been.

It didn't matter that the bed head was being slammed against the back wall or the noise of the bed springs being more squeaky than usual. Connie just wanted his tone, his breath and his spirit like that of the unseen sun, as Steven just wanted everything of her...his unsung moon...they cared not for the loudest, explicit words coming out of their mouths (though one would hope magic rooms would mean magical walls with magical soundproofing.) which only served to voice their dirty needs.

It was rough, intense but they both wanted this so badly, as Connie's call for him as she came reverberated around them, as Steven came so hard shortly after, filling her....their minds back into the eternity of the famed atmospheres of a million beautiful shining stars....

And once they had returned back, they looked at the stars in each others eyes as they panted, with Steven ran his hand aimlessly on her waist with Connie trying to unscramble on her tangled head. Though once they had refocused, they took a good moment to realize...

They were ready for _more_. 

They hadn't had this much energy within themselves to warrant the second lap in their...endeavors as Steven went down on her again, his desire to pleasure her sounding simple enough but really, he wanted to make sure she felt everything she could want him doing to her. Was it nasty? Was it nice? There was no room for nice. Only power with caution.

What ever in the Faded World was in those cupcakes was something else. Neither had the mindset to discover or even think about it at this point, their entire visage lost in the influx of exchanging the lights between themselves, re-positioning where fit, to try something new as Connie desired him to....well, refit himself into another part of her. Steven nodded, flipping her over so he could find a comfortable position to slot himself in.

To Connie it felt weird at first, since it wasn't something she was used to, but it was different, painful to start but other wise wanted to find her groove with it. Steven started off slowly, even if he didn't want to be slow (and neither did Connie) but she appreciated him ensuring that she would take the time she needed to decide if she liked it or not. She started off laying down as he went in and out at decent rate, until she'd gotten to know the feeling better and deciding it wasn't as bad. Connie shifted upwards onto her hands and knees as Steven sat back a bit to let her adjust, spreading her knees out wider so he could go in deeper if needed be. She wanted him to. He went back in, moving forward as she felt his chest and his gem rub against her back, his member sliding into her behind once more. Steven dug his chin into his shoulder and had his left hand next to hers to help him maintain his weight, focusing his thrusts all the while and when he'd regained momentum and confidence, used his right hand to run over her stomach, teasing her with the sparks as the hand found itself on her breast.

It was more than okay with her now, as she found that she loved all this sensory overload, his mouth next to hear and absolutely reaping every grunt and groan and muttered names and incomprehensible language that poured into her ear. 

"_Harder_...Steven..." She requested through musky orders.

On command Steven pledged himself further in, going in harder. They were both aware of how beyond this was to their norm. It wasn't playful, it was a display for force, respect and prosperity for them both, with supply on the edge on being able to keep up with the demand. Connie's cries intensified, as Steven had the urge to come on the closest horizon. Even his grasp on her breast was tight, his grip firm and Connie loved it. Loved on how much it hurt and sent everything into over drive.

The type of hurt that felt right...it was dangerous but she's experienced that before and nothing could ever hope to compare. With such growth a total win in their books.

And as he came into her again, it brought back the lost lights, the sparks sprinkling above them like rain, sweat drenching them like they had just come back from a dip in the ocean.

How they had this much energy to spend surprised them as Steven removed himself from her, panting and listening in his heart thumping like crazy in his head. Once he'd gained his breath back, he was then met with Connie moving things around faster than he anticipated, shifting herself into his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing her head closer to his.

She was so beautiful like this, her big brown eyes looking over his weathered face before she gave him one of the deepest of the deep kisses. Their slight break lost in each others eyes interrupted by a familiar bump. Round three? By Connie's devious grin, she certainly thought so, giving it one more round for keeps.

Connie adjusted herself in, feeling the need to take the chance herself this time, slotting herself in place and began the bounces on her own accord. Steven couldn't help but laugh, adoring her little squeaks as she took him in and out and in again. And again.....with the touches, the whines, the calls for support and more to be had, which had Steven digging his fingers into her bottom cheeks a boon on both ends, hearing and feeling the wet slaps that they loved to listen to.

The rest of the night was kind of blurry to them, remembering much of their night dedicated to pure pleasure and resonance, unable to decide how much of this was for different reasons...for play, for strength and the release of all the pent up energy they suddenly found themselves holding, really blaming Amethyst's cup cakes for the whole ordeal, which lead them to delve into positions unknown and unfelt in the interim, all leading to similar, but blindingly brilliant results in the end...making their own celebrations and their own victory special between themselves.

And with the last dance they had closed off with the classics again, using the last of their energies as Steven came into Connie one last time with as much he could muster with the cycle of the power spent on one another entirely worth it.

And in the midst of their finally retiring to fatigue, snuggling up to one another, content with their activities and resting their eyelids to surrender to sleep, a small, yellow flower popped out of the water of Steven's new Garden...matching with the page detailing the yellow lotus that was open in the book on the bench.

For what ever that new sudden growth spoke of the new horizons to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nymphie strikes again with another passionate image of a scene from this chapter!  
https://imgur.com/aYA71BY (NSFW)


	34. Education

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie's hunger for knowledge has her delve into more than what she expected...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAnd this chapter will answer some questions and address issues brought up a few times.  
Sorry for the huge delays! Stuff gets in the way and well now that I am almost done with Needed, I can focus on Dry.  
Unless I start another fic I dunno.

The following morning after a long, strenuous stretch of activity had both Steven and Connie pay dearly.

Both of them had to begrudgingly learn their lesson from the night prior through how marked their bodies were in the morning...bruises and sore limbs...and a pulled muscle somewhere but that was the least of their concerns. Connie sat up first, slowly and with minor cracks from her joints while she adjusted herself. She brushed her messy, tangled hair out of her face with a single blow...although her fatigued mind didn't force her to care when it did little; only for it focus on the bits of agony that made her more...floaty than grumpy...and trying to figure what in the fading hell had happened the night before. She turned to her side with blurry sight and waited for her vision to return, seeing Steven's head face down in the pillow and almost chewing it, with his drool dripping on it as he snored. Though, it was possible that he was pretending too...his snoring was a little too controlled and low in volume for one thing...

Memories filtered in bit by bit, like putting in returned books on a library shelf...as Connie's mind turned pages...realizing of what terrible...._sins._...they had actually committed. It had her blush out of shame, rubbing her neck, then combing her fingers through her hair to move the remaining strands. Though shame turned to embarrassment, videos of their many positions playing in her head as she looked at their clothes all over the floor, cushions and the wooden brown drawers tipped over...evidence of their sports. Connie bit her lip as her eyes scanned the mess they made, finding their legs entangled with the pink blanket.

The bathroom door was wide open, with soap pouring out from the while tiles to the salmon carpet. Connie swallowed; only thinking that Pearl was going to have a field day and preparing for more of a scold of their apparent carelessness from last night. They traveled, everywhere and anywhere, it seemed.

Connie heard Steven whine and groan, struggling to maintain some form of consciousness. He pressed his hands on the mattress and pushed his head and chest up, with his arms wobbling as he stretched his legs, cracking them away from their dormancy. He eventually rolled back and yawned, rubbing his eyes and eventually finding himself pleased with the view of the lovely brown torso before him, smiling devilishly at her.

However, like Connie herself, everything flowed into Steven from yesterdays dalliance into the unknown, which had him looking down sheepishly, then chuckling nervously as he blushed. Neither would admit how good it actually was as Steven felt warm from recalling how flexible Connie could actually be and how daring both of them were with many of their unholy acts. 

Steven at some point sat up next to her, looking on as Connie had her arms around her knees, looking aimlessly in the distance as she rubbed her head. He put his hand on her back and rubbed it. It instantly brought her attention, as she turned to him and smiled, pulling herself towards his face to instill her gifting of the morning kiss; a peck on the lips that was always a fraction longer than a simple one off. A churn in Steven's stomach interrupted their moment, telling them their next goal.

The two decided to slip out of bed (albeit requiring great effort and will power), put on their white robes and deciding to have breakfast. Slowly heading into the dining room, they saw Garnet on the other side of the table, reading a book. She was still and patient, although paranoia had yet to seep into their groggy heads.

Amethyst was already up, and held all the exuberance as the famed sun, putting down two plates of simple buttered toast in front of their faces. Still half asleep, Steven picked up a slice, then without warning, had flash backs of the night before; the Cupcakes. The pink frosted cupcakes.

He froze instantly, as only his eyes moved to Connie, as Connie's position mimicked his...toast in hand, by the mouth which was half open, eyes on him. She had to have had the same idea.

"There's no frosting on that toast." Garnet said, with absolutely zero emotion.

Both of them went completely red in the face....and proceeded to eat the toast without question. Priyanka and Doug emerged shortly after, with similar traits to Steven and their daughter; tussled hair, huge bags under their eyes and complaints of sore backs, with Amethyst bouncing about with breakfast for them too, almost giving them a heart attack with how out of touch with reality the two were.

Garnet couldn't help but grin this time.

* * *

The next few weeks were spent planning their assault on Yellow Diamonds Compound, Compound Two. While the curse from Steven had been lifted thanks to the Zircon at the Blue Compound, Garnet suggested they aim for their next target; Queen Yellow herself.

Reports of chaos from the Third Compound were being filtered in through Amethyst, whom had been busy with her contacts out on the field. The Vacuum wasn't properly filled, leaving Yellow Diamond on a rampage to find out who killed her Sister Queen, now on the warpath with the Crystal Priestess Rebels. She was considered one of the more of the violent of the four, with huge armies that they would have no chance against, even through attrition.

They had amped their security more so, sending a group of higher class Gems to the Third Compound to knuckle down on any humans who felt big after Queen Blue's take down. So planning to hurt Yellow had to be taken with caution. 

Pearl ended up trying to study the significance of the Fury of Tempastas, locked in her room for days with troves of books, even going out of the Temple on other days on end with Garnet, trying to find resources from a variety of places mapped out by the Maheswarans and their book. As were Steven and Connie, circled in piles of books, tucked into a corner within Amethyst's, purple hued and originally musk-smelling and dusty Library, reading up on much needed Gaian Knight Lore underneath the aroma of a Rosemary incense that sat on a pile of multi-sized tomes. Connie was more of a less fascinated with her mothers line of work; the job of a Witch Doctor.

Like what the Zircon had mentioned, there were the Circulatory Charms that were placed on every human within the Compounds. Within the old Precursor Cults, Witch Doctors were either human, or Gem gifted with the knowledge on how to use certain spells that served. Steven had always been treated as a human so she wondered if even half off the stuff even worked on him or was necessary. Protecting them from disease or other types of sickness. Some of the stories told of evil hexes and curses as punishment from either side, used on prisoners of war.

The amount of magics used were numerous and had multiple volumes on a variety of subjects. So many created for a variety of purposes. Mostly their goal was to find something that could give them an edge against Queen Yellow. Although Connie found one interesting book tucked within the rest; a big pink one with the rose symbol on top of a large round black rune; The Tome of Creation.

It went into detail about multiple things. About the methods used to create Gems back in the past; these Summoning Temples or "Kindergartens" that had a very complicated yet intricate way of forming Gems. Namely, it required the essences of the Diamond Queens as well as other bits and pieces that were used to create certain Gem types...like Queen Blue was mostly the creator of Sapphires and helped co-form Gems like Amethyst's with Queen Pink in the past. 

This portion of creating Gems absolutely fascinated her...but then it made Connie wonder...how _was_ Steven created?

Half-Gem, Half-Human....though through her mother and father she had a bit of an understanding on how humans were made though didn't get a great amount of detail when she started asking questions when she was about twelve years old. Man...woman..._exchanging gifts_. (Dougs words, not Priyankas) through a mutual expression. But the more she thought about it...the information they'd given Connie struck something within her, something she'd have to question at some point. It didn't sound right to begin with.

Moving on, Steven's mother was a Gem. So...did some kind of....ritual occur to make Steven? Steven himself never said much, only that his mother sacrificed herself to make him but his father never went through and explained how his mother did it. Connie could gather that, maybe Rose's Gem was exchanged, gifted in a more Gem like sense in the ritual with the essence of his father? It was entirely possible that the man with the smile that could save the world, had his smile forged differently to others.

He was mostly human in action like her so Connie wasn't able to see much of a difference until he started using his powers...not to mention the obvious Gem on the gut she's seen a lot of.

The Tome of Creation had both parts for Gems and Humans...and it described Gems first (Written by a Gem called Peridot 5XG) then humans (written by a human called Wysix). Unable to stop herself, Connie flipped straight through. While she was supposed to find something for Queen Yellow...she found herself entranced around learning about her own species.

The more she went in, the more her eyes widened however...with striking, shocking and punishing realization of how humans were _actually_ made...

She put the book down, her heart almost stopping, as her wide eyed focus went on Steven, who was too absorbed into a book about Gaian Knight weapons more so than anything but a strong smile on his face, his mind working its own magic with imagining himself using said weapons (probably, Connie couldn't really tell.) Connie swallowed hard, feeling herself sweat with anxiety and the lines of 'oh no' repeating in her mind over and over again.

But once she flicked through further, she read about the Circulatory Charms that both Compound-Working Gems and Cult Witch Doctors worked with in order to prevent such 'creations' from occurring; that in order to control human populations, each human would be subject to a specific Hex in place...one that took that most commonly took the form of a small pill. 

Within each of the Compounds, humans are subject to different kinds of Charms throughout their entire lives...at different ages. From babies, to adults to elderly, subjecting their bodies with such things usually through said pills, injections or liquid medicines or other rituals, herbal remedies and verbal spells. Each of them aren't mutually exclusive as different Compounds and Witch Doctors work with different methods, more often of different qualities and of varying results and make. Connie's mother had mostly given Connie small herbal remedies through out her own life...which, Connie never got to connect the dots herself until most recently. Which annoyed her; considering she's had all this time to reveal it all to her but never really bothering to do so.

Again, another conversation Connie had yet to spark, mainly due to other important priorities.

As the book had mentioned, however, marked humans were being subject to this 'production blocker' at a young age. So no doubt Steven himself would have had it done to him, being the best example of what the Pink Compound had to offer. Connie felt a tinge of relief, relaxing at this valuable thumb of knowledge at her finger tip. Still, she had much to question her mother for.

* * *

An hour later, Steven found some kind of clue to defeating Yellow Diamond, but it required him to have a chat with Pearl about his own findings. She had since returned and the two discussed the texts in her room; which allowed Connie the time she needed to go find her mother to talk about her own concerns.

Finding her within her own room behind the dining area, before a homely fire place, Connie sat down with her on the red rug, while her mother sipped her herbal tea.

Connie was nervous, gripping onto the pink book and looking awkward, but it was a topic that had to be brought up at some point.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a Witch Doctor?" Connie asked.

Priyanka sighed, putting her book aside as she shuffled before her daughter, crossing her legs and urging her daughter to do the same. Connie did so, mimicking her mother. This was a general practice between the pair, a general balance of persons and trust with proper posture and ensuring the other was heard without any extra inflections.

"Connie, there's a lot to be said when we were trying to hide from the Empire." Priyanka answered, like she had anticipated that very question.

"You were lucky, that you were born into freedom. Not a lot can be said when you're a human in this day and age. Gaian Knights are a huge target and just acknowledging that to you, would have you painted with it as well. We couldn't risk it."

Connie frowned, already painted with the numbers on her neck. So they didn't trust her. Eighteen years and ever since they got back they were simply throwing themselves into their own work, ignoring their own daughter in the mean time and it was only now Connie had better insight into their mysterious mission more so than when she was younger. Ignorance is bliss; was their phrase, even if Connie never completely understood the context when she was younger and obviously more naive.

"Witch Doctors are...rare...we're taught by our Elders all the tricks of the trade. Which makes us dangerous to the Queens...for we hold the power to undo everything they've done. So they send out legions and Quartz Warriors and have them find us, where ever we tread. If you hadn't found us like you did we would have been...dissected. Though that Aquamarine had a preference for torture...trying to bleed out information about the Hidden Village."

More valuable information Connie would have liked to known about before hand. It was then Priyanka noticed the book Connie had next to her.

"What's that book you got there?"

Connie suddenly paid more attention; knowing her mothers droning often had her zoning out. She then aimlessly picked up the book and handed it to her mother.

"Oh the Tome of Creation...yes the Elders had us read this during our training. Let me guess, you're trying to figure out how Steven was born?"

Yes...and no...Connie looked left and right. All she could just say was that she was...curious.

"We're trying to find an edge against Queen Yellow." Connie answered.

Or she could just lie...well, not lie, but more of a less, dodge the truth.

The whole truth.

It was nothing new.

"His mother was either the contributor or the carrier." Priyanka stated.

"Not in the history of either Gem kind or human kind, was it ever noted that a humans essence was ever used in Gem production. But, we know of Rose Quartz being a Gem who made the impossible, possible; pushing boundaries. A shame we never really got to meet her."

And her apparent controversial stances among other things. A Gem who wanted to fight against the Diamond Queens and bring life to the Faded World once more. A sight Connie so desperately wanted to see in her own life time.

But Connie felt a bit better...still annoyed by her mothers decision to hide stuff from her and it was for a good reason, but it would have been better to know before hand instead of being left in the dark. All in all, it was good that she was a Witch Doctor; Connie's fascination grew into a new desire to learn about being a Witch Doctor herself; to heal the world her own way. She might not have powers like Steven and the Priestesses and while she could fight, it would be crucial for Connie to discover much, much more than she would originally have herself believe.

"So...what are your...Witch Doctor skills like?" Connie queried.

Priyanka smiled, for at least she was kind of happy her daughter had a vested interest in such a valued skill set. She picked up her green tea cup and showed it to Connie, displaying the dark green liquid with a few leaves sprinkled within it.

"Not all Witch Doctors use the same methods. But my specialty is herbal medicine." She answered, pretty much confirming what the book told her.

"There's something so...cleansing about using brews to cure what ails you. My problem was the lack of ingredients...so your father and I would go to different spots to find them. And now we're here, the Priestesses have provided me with so much more...and room to experiment."

And now all the pieces were falling into place...and why her mother insisted on her drinking disgusting things in the past. The two talked about it for hours, as Connie understood more so to be Priyanka basically creating potions for a variety of purposes but not having the resources available there to her until recently. Each of the Priestesses had come back from their adventures to cultivate rare ingredients on occasion and allowing Priyanka to utilize what she could do with whats given. The entire process for potions required patience and careful attention to the way each potion is processed.

Rare ingredients being what are generally seeded in specific Micro-Temples...the only time where a Gems contribution would be required. A part of themselves, mainly their sweat or tears, gifted to a type of plant or object; blessed or otherwise and it would be used for a system of purposes; healing and the like were the most common utilized. That within Compounds, if any human was critically injured, they would use some kind of remedy to heal the wounds.

Amethyst had read up on such remedies herself, inspired by the Witch Doctors themselves than those Gems in the Corundum Coven or even the Zircons that acted as the Processing Gems in the Compounds that held just about the same amount of knowledge of the topic.

Though...something else was now bugging her now that she thought about it some more. And the thought patterns she had were beginning to make terrible conclusions...once relaxed and now tensed up once more, Connie wasn't sure what she should do.

The pictures in the book returned to her. The clump of paragraphs that had been sticking with her ever since she laid on her eyes on the very text that proceeded it. The rosemary incense had worked better than expected.

"That reminds me..." Priyanka said, getting Connie out of her transfixed funk of her imagination.

"You went to the Blue Compound recently."

Again, the series of _oh no'_s with_ oh goshes_ ran circles in Connie's line of thinking, her chest tightening as if what she was thinking was true..but she had to somehow prove it.

"If memory serves correctly, when a human is transferred to another Compound."

Connie hated the fact that her mother sounded so casual and analytical; so cool and collected about it too, amping up her anxiety further.

"They filter out any existing Circulatory Charms..."

They did...indeed they did...Zircon had handed Connie the blue liquid and told her the whole story. Sweat rolled down the side of her forehead, her eyes widened but her mother in this completely contrasting state where she didn't even look at her daughter; who had begun to panic in the most silent of ways.

"And replace them with their own versions..."

..._they didn't_...They didn't....THEY DIDN'T...**THEY DIDN'T.**

"You wouldn't have happened to know what way they used the Circulatory Charms there by any chance? I would love the opportunity to...."

Connie shook her head and snatched the book from her mother before fleeing the room, ignoring her confused mothers calls for her daughter and for Connie to slow down...

* * *

Connie instantly went back into Amethyst's Library and huddled in the corner she had with Steven, whom, thankfully, had yet to return from his session with Pearl. She rummaged the pages for ANYTHING that could prove her horrifying feeling. She was out of breath and internally screaming at herself for being _absolutely_ stupid and careless..

But...the one thing she needed, she had to have, was evidence of this theory. Because one stupid night, being absolute _slaves_ to their hormones and their desires...

How Connie thought herself to be point blank, a _moron_ to forget what happened in the Blue Compound. Most of the parts were there, now clearer than ever to Connie herself and they did not once consider this before they started to throw themselves around the room like....like.

Yeah, but it feels _amazing_ and you always want _more_ but never consider the consequences in doing so....when you just don't _think_ because you do not have any room left in your brain other than the primal wants again and _again_ and in the end, all of it ended up with...

Connie took deep breaths...maybe she was being too worried about it. It could be fine, it could be nothing, but maybe, asking her mother to reapply the Charms so that this would never happen. It couldn't. It was a nice idea, yes, but NOT NOW. Not now when everything was as chaotic so she couldn't afford it. Connie needed to be there for them...for him. She was a part of this and it required her at her absolute _best_...her at one hundred and ten percent.

Now, past the production blockers...how would one prove that it is a thing...

All the past times they had done things to each other...because both had been starved of such affection, and taking in what ever good feelings that they could give one another. Just touching each other was on the moment, electrifying enough to warrant thoughts to skip in directions revisited and rerouted to similar conclusions. How they had learned about each other and what the other liked and disliked...the way they smiled, cleaned up and eventually do it all again for the sake of their other to be happy.

Foolish...both of them just foolish.

The books detail that if the Blockers are removed or are weak, that they would make the suggestion on getting themselves checked. Connie found herself shaking slightly, fearful but knew she had to find out..she had to. Ignorance might have been bliss before but now....it was make or break.

Connie found a list of ingredients. Mostly plant based....

She'd run into the kitchen and looked at Amethyst's Garden. Behind it were a series of cabinets. Going to and from the book, she opened a glass door, and checked for what was available. Four vials contained what she needed. Four out of six ingredients though she couldn't find one that was in there.

A Yellow Lotus Flower.

Where was that?

She looked all over but found nothing...Connie bit her fingernails, then squeezed her eyes tight....she was running out of time and she had to think. Steven...

Steven had that new Garden growing in the new Greenhouse. That had to have something, surely.

Running to the bedroom with all the vials in her arms and the book, she plonked on them on the bed, and couldn't help but flash back to herself and Steven on there, going at it like feral creatures, before she forced herself to snap out of it and headed into the Greenhouse.

It was small and...well, green...but that was it...nothing in here had grown at all.

Except...

For a little flower in the water section of the Magical Garden. Connie cross referenced it with a picture in the book...it was the same one. She hoped it was, anyway...she didn't really know a lot about flowers. Taking it in a burst of desperation, she took it and everything and locked herself into the bathroom.

Putting the plug in the sink, she let it fill out slowly. She put everything else on the right side of the faucet...the four round, translucent spherical vials..one red, one purple, one green and one orange...the lotus flower sat in front of them..and had the book on the left side. Looking into the mirror, Connie still panted and found her twitchy fingers tapping against the edges of the sink.

Taking another deep breath, she took the book and reread everything a trillion times to make sure she was doing this properly. The liquid would remain gray if nothing popped up....and if it was pink...well...

Once the sink was filled completely, Connie turned the taps off, then poured each of the vials in, two at at time...red, purple...then green and orange. Next she ripped off each of the petals off the yellow lotus flower, and let them drop in and watched them sink. Then, the last ingredient...was Connie's spit. She swallowed, not ready for this at all. But she had to be sure...she _had_ to be sure...

She sucked on her finger, then...made the slowest attempt to dip into the water. She was meant to put it in there for at least ten seconds.

Dread filled her once her finger tip broke the surface of the multicoloured water. Grey eventually spread outwards from her finger once it went deeper and replaced all colours. 

_One..._

_Two..._

_Three..._

_Four..._

_Five...._

She couldn't be...

She couldn't be.

_Six..._

_Seven..._

But she felt so dumb and twisted up inside.

_Eight..._

_Nine..._

She took another huge breath...

_Ten.._

....

....

Nothing...

Connie sighed...and tried to allow her heartbeat to go down a little bit. Thank goodness. Well, perhaps it would be something to look forward to in the future...she took the book back and read through it one more time, just to see what else she had to expect.

Though, relief was short lived...having not seen the asterisk next to the last instruction before hand. Her eyes went to the bottom of the page, in italics.

_Please note, that there can be delays in the colour changing._

Connie furrowed her brows, putting the book down instantly. The grey eventually faded away, replacing it with a bright shade of pink.

She could have felt her heart stop again...but she ended up dropping the book instead. 

She honestly...didn't know what to feel or to think. Perhaps the liquid was wrong? Perhaps the recipe was wrong....

**KNOCK KNOCK.**

"Connie are you in there?"

Her mother. 

Connie froze immediately, as salty tears ran down her eyes and her throat feeling like it was being squeezed.

"Sweetie, what's wrong? Is something bothering you?"

She was stuck there...with every emotion hitting her at once. On how _stupid_ she was....how...irresponsible she was...

How _scared_ she was.

Connie scrunched her eyes and tried to find some strength to move. It was her mother...her _mother_ for goodness sake, she could trust her own parent. Connie looked down at her hands, then her stomach, shaking and feeling the cold sweat take over her.

"Did I say something wrong? If I did I'm sorry! I'll make it up to you, I swear!"

No...it was not her fault. Maybe it was...no...no it wasn't...

With enough energy gained, Connie quickly unlocked the door and opened it. Priyanka gasped, seeing the tears on Connie's face...and took her daughters hand and pulled her forward into a hug

"Hey, hey...what's..."

Priyankas eyes linked to the sink filled with the pink liquid...and instantly understood as her eyes widened with shock. She felt Connie collapse in her arms and start to sob into her mothers shoulder, with Priyanka ensuring her daughter that she was going to be okay. She then remembered those potent cupcakes...and wondered what the hell was in them?

Who would have thought that the girl she once thought had only been playing with toys yesterday had been subject to such a surprise that would have of course left her emotional and fearful for the future ahead. Priyanka felt the same, but eventually embraced the feeling. She would have been fine with it, on better circumstances...if it weren't for the fact that it the (obvious) father was perhaps one of the most perplexing individuals in existence right now. Not to mention, quite powerful if he was anything like his own mother.

It was obvious that Connie loved Steven dearly, and Steven loved her in return. It made Priyanka feel a twinge guilty for not telling Connie more when she could. She didn't expect these series of events to unfold as they did. No one did. They had to make sure Connie was prepared to take care of herself, but nothing like this was foreseen. But now, this was the biggest lesson learned; helping figuring out what Connie needed right now. Priyanka sighed with disappointment in herself, but then with a dedicated expression, made the resolve to help her child any way she could. 

and...her potential grandchild.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moar feels drawn by Nymphie: https://66.media.tumblr.com/396d94fc24e85c1b4f4a28d06adba065/0045ed4fc6511edf-26/s500x750/a634d33140ebd13cbcab6ae560b7abe27e8f9b15.png


	35. Cube Companion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Pearl head to a Micro-Temple together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya, I hope you're glad I'mma gonna introduce a fan favourite into this fic now =D  
After all the uhh...drama...here we have chapter focused on them, as well as Steven and Pearl.  
I am going to suspect people are not like going to like the direction I'm taking Pearl in. Remember this an AU so its not meant to be in a likable...direction.

It was at Pearls suggestion that Steven and herself leave the premises at behest of their amazing discovery.

Their talk over how to use the Fury was brought up over the realization that the Rubiks Cube was some kind of key to a distant Micro-Temple, with Pearl mentioning that it might have been connected to the Temple of Creation that Steven had mentioned once before. Despite his state of pure delirium brought on by White's Curse, Pearl found herself in depth into finding the context of the Temple of Creation, stating that the Temple itself may have been in reference to a Kindergarten. They didn't have time to lose as Pearl had already packed his bag prior over the anticipation that they would need to venture out at some point to discover the real answer behind the Cube itself. Pearl quickly told Garnet where they were going and pulled Steven away before he could tell Connie where he was disappearing to, but Pearl assured him she had told Garnet to let everyone else know where they were.

Out on the dusty roads again, clad in their desert traveling garb, Steven had never seen Pearl this_ excited_ before. He was used to her conventional aloofness or her being grouchy over the bathroom being an absolute mess (for the umpteenth time) but the way she smiled both enamored and confused him greatly...but he wasn't going to get in the way if the discovery made her feel happy. 

It took them a few days heading to the western plains, closer to the Yellow Compound in terms of where they were heading. They couldn't get there just yet, not until they knew exactly what they were dealing with first. The Cube was said to be part of the way that would help destroy Yellow like the Mirror did for Blue. In what way, they couldn't be certain...not until the puzzle was solved.

The Temple was pretty much like any other they had come across. A few dead tall trees and a yellow colored monster that Pearl and Steven defeated with ease...and she watched with a morbid fascination as he took the gem and crushed it like he had with the others in the past, her eyes trailing the power that filtered into his Gem. He then opened everything, going inside and revealing a floating rectangular platform that lead them underground, complete with a line of yellow glowing lights that lit up as they descended. Though the sight underneath was...nothing like he'd ever seen.

Completely flat ground that spanned on into the eternal darkness and hues of navy. Not to mention it took them about ten minutes to get to the bottom. The roof was..well, scarcely seen unless you looked at one of the many distant rows of pillars that reached up to the barely seen roof. It must have been at least a hundred meters tall. Like it was a hall, meant for giants to sleep.

The floor was made of larger, blue square tiles that held faint symbols and hieroglyphics, but in the middle was a huge summoning rune, an alchemy circle of sorts that spanned at least twenty meters across and marked out in white. It looked like the ones Steven's seen in books.

Pearl had thoroughly explained that they used these temples to create Gems and weapons and other objects of power. And that they could also use it for other rituals, provided they had the right sort of ingredients to conduct them. Summons could take time and effort and practice and careful cultivation, which is why they had special Gems known as Architect Mages be the only ones really allowed to use them...and they were based on merit too.

Their skills allowed them to use the Runes properly, right down to the specific amount of details required in each type of summoning. Steven became interested but also amazed on how much knowledge Pearl really had. He had grown up with humans and gems (mostly those who hated his guts for being human in party) but some history lessons like these he could never really learn from books alone. Others that mostly held stories, fictional but this type of study from word of mouth had him trust her every word.

It was discussed that the Fury would have had been a weapon belonging to Yellow at some point, but why a puzzle cube of all things was beyond Pearls understanding. The methods used to create such weapons were complex, give how the Rage of Gaia would have been created the same way as well as the Weeper of Misera. Steven revealed his suspicions to Pearl, that to his horror, that maybe living beings were used in the making.

Pearl made face, though deciding to agree with Steven; sometimes to create powerful weapons, ultimately some Gems were indeed sacrificed to boost the power of the object itself. His eyes widened, fretting over the blue spirit whom had haunted the mirror. He wasn't going crazy in thinking otherwise, an itch in his mind that couldn't be scratched unless done by the right person. He was relieved in a way, but still rather saddened by the prospect of using Gems like Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl as nothing more than the components used for fiscal reasons. Which meant Steven had yet another reason to 'dethrone' the Queens. 

Such murder by such monsters, willing to do so to their own, loyal subjects. It was definitely atrocious.

Though, Steven had to wonder...as he held the cube in his hands, how much did Pearl know about his Mom?

"Rose?" Pearl said, her tone elevated to one of fondness.

"One who could open your eyes to the real truth; that we're all suffocating underneath the Diamond Queens Tyranny."

Being within the Pink Compound for most of his life, Steven didn't doubt that. Rose must have been one of the first with the courage and stance to fight against such heresy. And although Steven's purpose in this life was to help heal the world, he never got to know her. A frustration spilled on Garnet beforehand, but she never quite revealed all that much, to Steven's disappointment. But Pearl herself wasn't afraid to explain what she could, giving praise where fit, although, Steven did painfully recall Pearl saying that she doubted Rose the decision about his creation.

But the pride Pearl had in being a Crystal Priestess meant more than real words could say, her dedication to the cause well and truly noted in the long run. Pearl often thought if Steven had any memories of his mother and sighing when he said no. He didn't want to disappoint, but something told Steven that Pearl must have really missed her and perhaps, on the similar line of thought, if that she still didn't understand the reason why Steven was created. The real reason. While it was noble to self-sacrifice, as Steven came under the belief that his own creation was part of some kind of summoning ritual and that he had become who he was on the account of his mothers own contribution to the efforts. His Dad said very little, but Steven really had no other way of knowing. He looked at the circle again, trying to imagine how the process worked.

"I wasn't there when she had you." She explained with sadness.

"No one was. So who knows how you were created Steven. But you're here to finish off your mothers work. And my aim, is to help you with that."

Steven smiled, knowing that Pearl could be there with him, that she had been on the same, twisted, perplexing journey as his mother and was resolute in getting the job done.

* * *

Getting to the task at hand, Steven gave Pearl the cube for her to figure out how to use it. She tried to, at first, put the cube in the middle of the circle and place her hand on top while she knelt down. Steven stood behind her, wanting to know how it all worked. She chanted some kind of spell in the Gem tongue, but eventually, the cube did nothing.

The spell itself was meant to use the circle to break the puzzle through a short cut, but...Pearl came to the conclusion that spell used on this cube was quite strong, that perhaps a Diamond-Tier one was used, using the fact that it was indeed use by Queen Yellow in the past, for what ever purpose it actually served.

Though, as Steven looked at it, perhaps it was much simpler then. Solving the problem the proper way. The way it was meant to, instead of forcing it to bend to their existing magic. He cited Connie as a problem solver and great at snakes and ladders, although upon that quote alone, had Pearls behaviour shift entirely. She ended up taking the cube and examined it more closely.

She moved it about, seeing that parts of the cube actually moved about, much to her surprise. She'd never touched the thing back at the temple and all this time it could do this? Steven could see how irritated she was, in the way she struggled to solve the puzzle herself.

Once entirely enthused by the prospect, Pearl was more aggravated by the fact she could have figured it out this way along time ago. To actually, physically tinker with the device, instead of running hands of magical scans and cross references that ended up having more dead ends than anything else. 

It didn't bother Steven all that much, as Pearl was frantic enough to solve the cube eventually, ensuring all sides were equal in their coloring. Upon the last click, with all sides done, the cracks in between turned a yellow green color. With the solution completed, Pearl grinned, finally being able to unlock it, all on her own. Steven wasn't to dampen her pride, but it sounded like it was charging up quickly. It took Pearl a moment to realize the same thing as him, as she dropped it, fearful for it to potentially explode in their faces. Standing by her side, Steven raised his arm in front of her, as the cube soon elevated on its own terms, channeling light around in a mystical swirl as it enclosed magic all around it.

While it didn't explode (to their relief), out came a green and yellow figure, tall, with a triangular hair cut and her Gem on her forehead. Her eyes held no pupils, just green sclera underneath her small visor. Her limbs looked way too big and she had fingers that were detached from her hands. Interesting, if not quite disturbing magic indeed. Her dress was that of intricate designs, signs of her former status with odd lines that curled and crossed her body, with tiny circles that were in the middle of the lines. Symbols of what Pearl had been looking at for the last few weeks.

It was a Gem, but which Gem? They weren't certain. Pearl could guess, but had little time to deliberate as they suddenly attacked, noticing the pair and shot them with spherical blasts from their many fingers. Pearl brought out her spear, but noticed that Steven jumped ahead, raising his shield to defend them both. Images flashed by Pearls mind, seeing his mother instead of Steven in front of her...he really was like her. Selfless and ready to protect others in a moments notice. Without much acknowledgement to the idea, Pearl began to hold old feelings as they begun to resurface. Ancient, scary feelings. Feelings that weren't meant to return in the way they did and it scared her.

If only Steven knew the truth, it would make the inevitable decision for Pearl all the while harder. A visage like his comparing it to hers was not intended and not welcomed. Not when they had been the furthest they'd been in such a long time and that if they could pull this off, then what they had worked so hard for would finally end the eternity of drought.

She shook her head and urged him to attack, putting her hand his back.

"We can't just stand here and let her attack us." Pearl pleaded.

The Gem decided to maneuver around the place, but Steven was insistent on holding Pearl back, even as the Gem was nearly screeching at them to die. No. Steven could see that she must have been scared. Pearl eventually had enough and escaped Steven's grasp with the intent to stab the Gem....but...

Now that Pearl could see her properly, she could see that he was right. Tears ran down the Gems face and her voice was more desperate out of fear than out of hate, croaking and failing into itself. Still holding up his shield, Steven began to shuffle himself closer, bit by bit.

Holding an idea, he whispered to Pearl to hand him some chalk. Pearl, perplexed as she was, did so but wasn't sure what Steven had planned. Taking the chalk from Pearl, Steven didn't take his eyes off of the Gem, while he leaned down and began to write something on the ground.

Upon closer inspection, Steven somehow wrote his name upside down. He got back up and smiled. The Gem squinted at the text and used her fingers to rub her chin, as she was deeply contemplating the random word on the ground.

Steven gestured between the word and himself and in three swift motions, gestured with his hand back and forth. He was telling the Gem his name.

The Gem eyed Steven with great suspicion and after a minute, she suddenly calmed down, lowering her arm as she fought through tears. Pearl was...dumbfounded by the way he convinced her to stand down, just like that. She motioned a finger to tell him to hand her the chalk, after he realized what she wanted. He chucked her the chalk, where she fumbled with it briefly before allowing her to hold it steady. Pearl continued to watch as she copied Steven's earlier motions, kneeling down, her eyes on him as she wrote her name on the ground, upside down as well.

Peridot.

Her name was Peridot.

Steven beamed, delighted in finding out the Gems name. He got rid of his shield and ushered himself closer, only for Peridot to raised her limbs again in an attack position. Pearl couldn't believe how fearless he was. She gulped, holding on to her spear tightly and ready to move if Peridot dared to lay one of her many fingers on him. It was then Pearl recognized the garb Peridot was wearing and put her hand on Steven's shoulder.

"She's an Architect Mage!" She whispered.

Peridot noticed the Pearls words, lowering her arm again.

"Yes. Yes I am." She said, her tone dull. She looked less tense, but still wary of the pair.

"You're....you're not with Empire, are you?"

Steven shook his head and extended his hand.

"No, we're not." He said.

"We're part of the Crystal Priestesses."

Peridot eyed him from top to bottom, then looked at the Pearl behind him. She hummed, deciding her next move, her eyes now looking at his hand and ignored the gesture.

"A name I have not heard before." She said, not at all impressed.

"But going from your pink shield, I suspect that might be some kind of offshoot group of the Gaian Knights, however."

Steven smiled, resting his hand down and relaxed, much to Pearls dismay. She stood beside him with her arms crossed, making sure Peridot didn't move a bit.

"I was with the Tempestan Tellers...before...well...the incident... but now that you've released me...perhaps...you're here because you want to kill Queen Yellow yes?"

Steven and Pearl looked at one another. This Peridot, this Architect could tell them more than either of them imagined possible, even from the hundreds of books back at home base. Peridot would be a valuable ally indeed. Both of them turned back to Peridot and nodded. She adjusted her visor, then hummed to herself.

"Ughh...figures you release me from my prison for THAT reason alone. But I suppose I have no choice...and please keep the cube safe, if my suspicions are correct, I need that to live. But I will join you...for I want the Queen dead for my own reasons."

And with that, they had gained a new Priestess. A temporary one, whether she knew it or not. As long as Peridot followed orders and answered all their questions, Pearl was willing to tolerate her abrupt attitude for now.

Steven was more pleased that he had a new friend, going starry eyed with excitement.


	36. Show and Don't Tell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking Peridot back to the Temple, Pearl makes discoveries both internal and external...  
and equally horrifying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a concept, (disturbing) was poured into my head a while ago and I argued with myself if I wanted to put it in there. As I mentioned in the last chapter, it was going to be something people weren't going to like. This chapter will demonstrate why.  
There's a reason that won't be fully revealed until the end, but I think some of you suspect something so I'm gonna kinda need to keep my mouth shut and write this with more caution.

They took Peridot back with the the long journey back to the Temple, who then complained about the state of the world before them, shocked on how much had changed since she was imprisoned. An incident, one that she could not for the life of her remember too much about in terms of every little bit of detail, but served as one of the Architect Mages that helped create Gems. She'd recognized the Temple of Creation as one of them, but without the proper materials, no more Gems could actually be created.

Analyzing her state, as they took refuge in a broken down home with a worn mirror on the back of the faded blue wall, she kept muttering to herself about some kind of nonsense, saying that she shouldn't even _exist_ right now. Pearl and Steven sat around a campfire, remaining silent as Peridot rambled on about her current state of existence. Pearl kept the Cube close as she requested, kind of fathoming why she would need it but not really; Pearl only complied because Peridot was going to be of some use to them; tolerance until she held no more purpose.

Peridot went into a little bit more detail about her past, that she was used in a ritual of some sort by Queen Yellow in the past...and the green gem wanted revenge for what was done to her. Why Yellow had used her was anyone's guess, but Pearl explained that the Mirror they used to destroy Queen Blue must have been something similar...Peridot nodded as she inclined to agree.

The Tempestan Tellers used to believe in might. They built strong warriors and armies and thrived in the meat of combat. As for Peridot herself, she used to be the one who conducted rituals that summon Gems; proof of their earlier research that Architect Mages were the ones with the know-how on Gem production. However, due to the lack of resources destroyed during the original war between humans and gems, they no longer had enough materials that could produce powerful Gems. Peridot knew this even back in the days with her service to the Tellers; voices of a force who would best brag about their ferocity in combat.

Peridot herself was a result of a constructed weaker Gem, much to her dismay. But her true strength was in her intelligence instead, using her skills to produce other Gems and bringing out the best in them despite their own weakened stances. She'd come to know other Architect Mages from Gaian Knights and the Undertakers of Miseria, though not so much from the Worshipers of Psyche, however...known as the Scribes of Psyche.

The following day, the three continued on their trek through the dry landscapes. The winds were just as dead which allowed Peridot to walk and talk at the same time. Steven grew genuinely impressed with Peridot's insight while Pearl strayed behind, only pretending to be interested. And while this was critical information to take in, she couldn't help but feel _jealous_ over the fact...that Steven was paying more attention to the Architect than to her...the one who was supposed to have all the knowledge and secrets that only she wielded. Her own true power over the Priestesses overall.

And while Garnet was wise in telling them directions, she didn't know everything. She liked to know everything. But the fact is that she could show others doors to enter through for their own spheres of advice meant for that person alone. And Amethyst, Amethyst was...well, different. While she was messy, she was in charge of their logistics, intake of resources and undercover info but wasn't the sharpest Gem of the bunch.

Pearl's feelings for her own Priestesses were...mixed at best. They'd worked together for so long for an endgame that was supposed to be in their sights, but Pearl knew better...understanding the scenario was a lot more complex than one would imagine it to be. The situation with Rose...the situation with Steven was Rose's aim to be the one to bridge the gap but without giving the clearest instructions on exactly how to do so. He had the potential to be a leader more so...but his humanity was more of a let down in Pearls mind. But other messy emotions that propped up without warning, forced her to resolute with their goals and refused to allow them to cloud her judgement.

She cared so little for humans and yet, to their credit, the fair few she'd come to know were worthy of her respect. But this...this mysterious Gem...Pearl could see how they could use her to further their own goals...and Pearl understood Peridot's to be quite arrogant, selfish with the mouth open for bragging twenty four seven about their own intelligence; their own prowess in their own way as opposed to the usual brute force brought on by the Yellow Compound Gems.

Once they had gotten back to the Temple a few days later, they introduced Peridot to everyone else. Amethyst seemed to like her at first, before Peridot started the war; she _had_ to call her defective. Steven apologized...until Peridot saw Garnet and said she was a filthy war machine. Even then Steven tried to get her to slow down...and say that she had been out of it for the last few...what ever years. Pearl copped being called nothing but a servant girl, lucky to be around without being whacked; to which only the hatred grew. Steven however, was forced to excuse Peridot but he shouldn't have to. He'd taken her to the side and gave her a talk. Pearl on the other hand talked to Garnet and Amethyst about what she had found.

All she could do really was roll her eyes...she knew to keep such judgments to herself. Both Garnet and Amethyst were definitely not entirely pleased to be call such names. Steven did his best to bring peace to the room, something his mother held a habit of doing any time Pearl had a disagreement with Amethyst. To avoid confrontation where necessary and possible. Admirable to a fault.

_So much like Rose...._

Following Peridot's arrival, Steven introduced her to the Maheswarans; the Witch Doctor and her husband from the Gaian Knights for them to figure out a way to defeat Queen Yellow. Peridot was, well, hesitant to work alongside humans but she let it slide, knowing how useful Witch Doctors could be in the long run. It would take them a while to figure it all out; Pearl just didn't like her habit of clapping her hands to try and summon Pearl for assistance...a gesture Pearl absolutely loathed and hardly ever adhered to; Steven took a portion of his time to get her to say please. An effort wasted but...teaching the Gem to respect others was a task only Steven was suitable to teach; no one else had the patience...or the bearing to even hang with Peridot after her first impressions went...sour.

Pearl didn't know what to do without Steven being there to handle it all with such ease. He would find it difficult but the way he could speak to others and convince them, teach them and dare them held him to his position as the Priest of Courage and Harmony very well. Rose would very proud of him for the way he handled it all...he was destined for this life, after all and while Pearl once thought little of him in the past, she came to appreciate his presence the most out of anyone else here, even more so than Garnet or Amethyst themselves.

Once all was said and done and every one went their separate ways for their tasks, Steven eventually went to meditate with Garnet; a normal task that allowed the both of them to channel their inner selves and Steven's power to improve his efficiency in battle. The two would do friendly brawls which Pearl was also envious of. She actually enjoyed sparing with Steven; which gave her fonder memories of her training sessions with Rose. Though the thought's connected had those awkward feelings rise up again. Wanting to dodge those unkempt emotions, she went to Amethyst's library to read more about Queen Yellow. She had the habit of trying to get the books in order if she saw how disorganized the shelves were; seeing Amethyst holding no interest in making sure each of the books they had collected over the last few hundred years were treated fairly and carefully. (Amethyst would always tell Pearl to bring the library into her room, but Pearl claims she wouldn't have enough space for everything since Amethyst seemingly used up most of the magic for her room after a certain incident rendered expansion seemingly impossible for eons...until recently.)

What Pearl didn't expect, was seeing Connie there on her own, in a corner of the library by a glowing blue geode as her light. She was entirely focused, though with bags under her eyes as she looked so intense, so into the big brown book in her hands. With no volume in her movement and by keeping her mouth shut, Pearl could see the title of the book; Parental Guidance. Pearl knew about that, having read it before; it talked about babies. Why Connie would be doing irrelevant research such as that to their current scenario had Pearl, at first, confused. Wouldn't Connie already know about how humans were made?

"Hello Connie, reading up about your own species?" Pearl queried with a soft, harmless expression.

Connie jerked in surprise, not expecting Pearl and suddenly slammed the book closed quicker than Pearl anticipated, though the latters eyes trailed to a nearby pink book about pregnancy and in that instant, Pearl's mind clicked two and two together and a huge wave of emotions poured through her as she deduced on what was going on. Pearl wasn't that ignorant; obviously Steven and Connie_ were_ intimate and going from Connie's reaction to how fast she had closed the book, had Pearl realize the truth. 

"Uh y-yeah..." Connie replied with a stutter.

While Pearl wasn't there for the entirety of Rose's pregnancy, she had made sure to study up on the signs as Pearl made the hyper focus on Connie's attributes, although couldn't really factor much as to how far in Connie was. But the horrible feelings Pearl held had increased; somehow the concept of pregnancy itself held a certain darkness in her chest. 

Connie reminded Pearl so much of herself; a staunch protector of their liege. Pearl held many years under Rose's command while she was the High Priestess. While Connie was a mere Acolyte, she also reminded Pearl of Rose's human donation. She never met the man whom had supposedly suffered under Pink Compound, but Rose had told her why she could never free the Acolyte from his confines. Not that Pearl cared all that much, she would have thought to bring him back to the Temple for his own safety. In the end, Pearl preferred that she didn't anyway.

No one else knew; under the impression that Rose had sort out a human that fit the mold and the genetic compatibility for the work required. Pearl held that idea first until the final days of Rose's own existence both dumbfounded Pearl and astonished her. In what way would such a revelation be taken by the masses? A secret held to the true end of days where no Gem or human would be alive to tell it.

No, Pearl was the Master of keeping secrets.

She knelt down before the anxious Connie, wanting her to reveal her no-so-secret dilemma to her. 

"Connie, you can trust me. I once served Steven's mother with similar connotations." Pearl assured her. A lie masked with white intentions.

The reasons Pearl craved such knowledge, her own internal library of things no other living being could hold. Secrets were worth to her like water was to humans. Treasured, protected, _hoarded._ Connie shrunk underneath Pearl's smiling gaze. She should trust her teacher...the one whom had been telling her the ways of bladed combat but there was a sinister lining that couldn't be reached by her mind.

Pearl knew. It wasn't worth hiding such a premise. Connie figured, it would better to let Pearl know when she hadn't prepared herself to tell Steven. She sighed, relinquishing her treasure to Pearl.

"Okay...Moms' the only other person who knows. I'm expecting." Connie revealed.

Her mother? Well, that was only one other. Witch Doctors were sworn to keep secrets too, if Pearl recalled correctly. Their oaths would never have them reveal everything unless given explicit permission. So it would be unlikely that her father knew either...that's how strict the rules were. The punishment; a curse of eternal mutism.

Pearl's been cursed like that before. Just not on the same level.

But what got Pearl was that Steven hadn't been told yet.

"Oh, so....Steven doesn't know this?" She questioned.

Connie shook her head, then lowered it out of suspected shame. Pearl couldn't understand why she couldn't. Rose was exuberant when she found out and couldn't wait to tell the Gems. Pearl took the concept the hardest but otherwise the biggest grin on Rose's face did provide evidence of pure joy.

Connie, not so much.

"I...I don't know how he'll take it." Connie answered.

Ah. The uncertainty over how the hybrid would be able to receive the news. Surely, if he was anything like his mother... Though, Pearl put a finger to her lips, her eyes on the floor as her mind went to work on how connected in personality Steven and Rose were. She sat down next to Connie and went into deep contemplation on the subject, her mind thinking about certain...disturbing thoughts. Steven was, indeed a _lot_ like Rose...regarding kindness and even the temper that no one else really saw. Rose DID have a temper. Pearl knew that and so did Steven. Assertion when pushed too far...aggression when pushed way _too_ far and outright rage when they went beyond the tipping point.

Disturbing thoughts that Pearl began to _admire_ Stevens own similarities about his own mother. While he held none of her memories, he was literally the only thing left behind of her and what bothered Pearl the most was the fact that she desired to take advantage of that fact. Her own...secrets, would lead to her being able to....form a type of control.

To everyone, Steven would take the news with prominent glee and Pearl herself was convinced of such a potential outcome at about the seventy to eighty percent chance even without Garnet there with her to say otherwise.

"I mean, with everything that we've gone through and still have to go through...I feel like it's going to be such a hindrance to our over all mission. I'm such a fool Pearl."

Doubt. That cursed spike in the gut. Connie was an Acolyte, a fighter at that and to Pearl's perception of her skills weren't too bad for a human. Soft, fleshy but strong-willed. Dedication to a cause and to the heart of the Priestess's purpose of world restoration.

And Rose's real mission. The secret Pearl could never reveal to another, even when threatened with death.

Pearl had tried to manipulate Connie in the past; having her go through Quartz intensive training to get as far as she had in order to get Connie at a level of competency that won't see her getting killed on the battlefield...and Pearl then realized why Connie's despair over such a thing about it being a hindrance came to light. A child would complicate matters and they had dealt with Queen Blue; a fantastic accomplishment on its own that's considered the brightest light of success that they've been able to get in years, with such a victory having all other Compounds in such a state of havok. Having the other Queens scared shifted the course of fate.

However Pearl knew the outcome...the eventual outcome. It would come...it _will_ come. The matter of when, debated on how fast they could get to the other Queens and to destroy them.

It had certainly had Pearl thinking on alternate directions, in ways where Rose had tried and ultimately had failed. She was a High Priestess with a copious collection of plots that Rose with Pearl had tried to explore many times before but in the end, none of them worked. Appeasement in the ways a leader of the Gaian Knights was supposed to find out....and the last attempt obviously failed on that part. The scariest aspect was the futility and the sacrifice made....and the sheer disappointment that followed once they realized that such a pointless try held no result...at all...no effect, no change....

When Pearl had to figure that part out, she cried. She'd isolated herself inside of a chamber and cried for days. Weeks...months....only to be dragged out by Amethyst and Garnet...who found out what happened...so Pearl had take the initiative and put in Rose's contingency plan. Plans A to Y bore no fruit. So, plan Z was the only real choice they had left. 

She welcomed it at first...but now...she hated it. She hated it so much because of her own, changing emotions. Change that Rose would have encouraged but now... No. That wasn't right. It just wasn't. He was half-human, half-Gem for one and that such...affiliation with awful feelings had Pearl fearing that plan Z would end up being worse for her.

Such a selfish Gem Priestess Pearl was...so, so _selfish._

Looking on at Connie however, made her wonder....secondary to Plan Y...plan Y2 maybe? It would mean Plan Z would never have to take place....and Connie had to be a part of that. She had to. Surely. Pearl could do all the research to see if it was even possible. But for now.

It would mean the best type of outcome...as Pearl let go of the barriers holding her mixed feelings at bay, it would meant the best result.

For her...and for Pearl alone.

_Maybe_ Connie... but the dark cloud began to swarm itself within Pearl's mind now and the growth was such a detriment to Pearl's present standing...and those warped perceptions became Pearl's reality, steadfast with clarity approaching head on.

No one else had to know either.

"You don't have to tell him." Pearl told her.

"Ask yourself...do you want this?"

A question that swam around. The way Connie had felt her being so stupid...her mother was prepared to do what was necessary to ensure her daughters happiness and a safe future. With or without her own child. Pearl could see the tears forming from the young girls eyes...the debate raged on strongly, the visage of the tearing light flashing before her.

"I...I don't know." Connie answered.

Pearl...could control that debate. She nodded. She knew basic human necessities. Fate would have dragged Steven to the Crystal Priestesses. Fate designed by Rose and Pearl was sure to make sure her wishes and her plans went on as they required to. It wasn't always the path she would have envisioned but the resolution, the destination was always what she had been wanting....and the path could have been taken in dozens or hundreds of way. Pearl's desire was to control any path she could see that would lead them there.

Good or bad. 

She put her hand on Connie's shoulder, a comfort to her for what little it would do for Pearl in return, but to steer her in a direction Pearl would want her to take herself towards.

"Continue to think long and hard about it. You're right, it could be a hindrance...but what would Steven think? He might want a child, you never know. But do you want one? It's not just about Steven but it's also about you. It's not something you want to take too lightly."

Especially after the last pregnancy Pearl had to deal with.

Connie nodded, smiling underneath the tears as she wiped them off with the back of her arm.

"I am...I'm trying Pearl." She sniffed.

"I love him....and I'm just confused....and scared and just....it's so much that I'm trying to learn what I can so I make a definite decision."

Good. Pearl wanted her to. Because...

"What ever you decide, I'll support you. I'm sure Steven will as well. But only tell him when you're absolutely confident...even if you don't tell him and you decide to not go ahead, it won't matter. A mistake best left forgotten to the past."

This was awful. But...

She stood up, giving Connie another friendly, warm smile, before heading back to her own room to debilitate...

It won't matter..._yet_...

* * *

Within the privacy of her own room, The cold, Abyssal Palace of infinite waterfalls, the sound of gushing and illusionary peace, Pearl sat there, thinking hard herself about the terrible private project that had come to mind. One no one else could ever find out about.

Her idea went back to the topic of Paths and the types Pearl wanted to control, to create even was something she would indeed work her hardest on. Revelations of the disturbed, distorted kind were on the fritz but were beginning to shape in an orderly fashion. Acceptance was the most difficult to bring forth, judgement on the final calling of it. Logic verses emotion in a twisted sense of the sort, of older feelings mixed in with newer ones brought up through time, balance and forged bonds that Pearl never even saw it coming, with the logical parts being Pearl's main priority...it was then she realized that these darkened feelings had emerged unaware through sheer ignorance, always feeling that....unrequited burn that made her feel sick inside that accepting it would be the only cure if it came down to it, but if she let her judgement break away, it could spell worse for Pearl...or worse...

For_ Steven._

How she let it come to this was something she hated herself for. Now she was beginning to feel other things...jealousy being the only one to emerge just recently and one actually spawning from her getting to know Connie but actually exploding outright when it came to Peridot. It was merely the jailer to every other thing that had been locked away. Memories were there to serve as the warmth...heavenly or from the fires of hells made to have her feel the sin as a blessing.

Logic told Pearl to structure everything she'd come to know and understand under simple terms. She was a Pearl. A servant Priestess of the High Priestess of the Gaian Knights; Rose Quartz. Bent on her every single word and every light she'd come to create in the fight against the Diamond Queens. Their destruction; their goal. The Sin to be repented and relieved, their aim. Straight forward...but Pearl knew it was a lot more complex.

The Path Rose had used as more as a guideline that many other sacrifices made with it...none that she herself was happy to commit. But Pearl would gladly act them out in her name, if it meant the world would be healed. Though, when all other options were exhausted, Pearl became frantic when Rose came to the conclusion that HAD to be made. There was no other choice. 

They had no other choice.

To Pearl it made sense but it was the only sacrifice Rose made that she detested....and Pearl, internally, screamed and scurried and tried to find other ways to do so without that one sacrifice being made. Rose had called her out on it.

Which, when Pearl thought about it, the way Steven threatened her, the way she had treated Connie as a Warrior, was eerily similar to Rose that she could see her in his eyes, the rage, the sheer power hidden behind must have been the first time Pearl could see the truth without knowing it.

He was her son. Without a doubt.

And the son to take on the mantle of his High Priestess mother, and the sacrifices he's already made to get them this far....

Pearl could no longer take it, she could no longer stand it. The anger, the fury....the sadness were all too much for her...and so with this idea in her mind had to work. A sacrifice worth making for once, but it had Pearl begin the process to sort through the clutter of her feelings first so she could enact on it without much hesitation. The doubt would always be there but she's taken actions worth far less for more pain in exchange

It was despicable....but it had to be done.

So she began to conceive and visualize a lot of complicated details and data to maximize the potential and to minimize the risk of failure. But when it came down to it, she knew part of that required Peridot's assistance. She was willing to suppress her less than obvious newfound hatred for the Gem (born out of her erupted envy, though Pearl did not want to admit that to herself, not anymore). just to see if that what she had indeed been thinking of, _could_ work. 

It was better than Plan Z that was for sure. Plan Z...it had to be out of the question, out of Pearl's way...it couldn't get to that point. Because the messy feelings she had tried to ignore eventually came in full force, acceptance in the teetering edge, knocking on doors and pleading for the judgement to pass over so she could proceed with it in a proper manner. Except it wasn't proper. Not by a long shot. It was wrong and it was disgusting and illogical and just...if any one else found out about it, it would be worse than death.

Pearl wanted to hate it. She really did. Because it proved how wrong things really were....and how much of the secrets she kept were really killing her inside. The echoes of madness had been there for as long as she could remember...her own internal voice telling her that it was both wrong and right...because hey, if it was once about his mother and now about Steven...

Because he was so much like her and the way he looked so much like her....and the way he acted like her and spoke like her and held the two sides like her.

Why not?

It was futile, silly and stupid and she had every right to loathe it. But the time spent with him, researching with him...walking by his side the way Rose used to walk alongside her. His smile, the way he held the Crystal Priestesses together...and the amount of torment he'd gone through to get to where they are now.

It came to the absolute wretched point where her own feelings against Peridot and Connie were to blame for the plans she had to create. She had to create them and she was sorry for the way these had to work. Because sacrifices were normal and too much had been spent by now that the truth was simply there, burning and boiling after these last few month...where eons were spent, accepted and used for the good of the world but now...it seemed so...evil...so wrong, so misdirected and misused that Pearl began to hate herself.

She wanted to translate it all to a productive manner but it was too late. She was getting there no matter what. Acceptance was now banging on the front door with her judgement in the corner of the room, crying for it to go away.

Pearl knew she'd always been weak. The layers within her forming and splintering into a court room. The judge was about to hit its hammer three times...

One.

Pearl sat there, crossed legged and looking down at her water now...the tears fell and mixed in with the water she sat in. They meant nothing...it hurt...so right and it hurt so bad....

Two...

No one else could know. What harm would there be in just hiding it like every other feeling she had? Every other secret she's had? So why did this one happen to hurt the most out of anything?

The third strike lingered.

This was her son! This wasn't meant to happen and now others _must_ suffer for the idiocy made beforehand. A decision that never should have been made in the first place but now she was just as bad as the Diamond Queens themselves when it came to horrible choices.

It had begun as something so small and now it had grown too large for Pearl to suppress anymore. Choices, orders, demands made by Rose should have been put into place the moment he arrived but now it was all too complicated. Pearl did not want to tell for herself but so desperately sought clarification with what logic had been shown to her. But this cannot be seen or heard...but the thoughts here and there, stars hidden behind clouds and the clouds had dispersed, showing everything Pearl hadn't realized she should been fearing would happen all this time.

Because....

The third strike dropped...and the tears came in full force as she Pearl cried heavily into her hands. Excuse after excuse as the illogical became logical in the way it presented itself to Pearl so clearly now after manner months of scattered hints that were never picked up on.

Because....

Judgement was ignored, acceptance ran its course in the ugliest way possible; Pearl could no longer deny it.

Because...

She was too blind to see she had fallen into the same trap she fell into with Rose.

The trap that was falling in love with her _son_.

And so it inevitably began; the start of another saga, another week of crying in self-isolation and constant torment.

Maybe a month...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expectations: Pearl ebil  
Reality: Me: :X
> 
> You can hate me now.


	37. The Second Compound Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot has a way to infiltrate the Yellow Compound.

It took them two months and going back and forth between the outskirts of the Yellow Compound to get enough information surrounding the factor of how they were actually going to get inside. Most trips were taken by Pearl, Peridot and Steven, the former exasperated by Peridots antics but she mellowed down with Steven's careful...tampering.

Time spent with him meant more to Pearl than he could even hope to understand. She tried to trash talk Peridot or tried to impress Steven in front of her, but Steven hardly ever noticed, even telling Pearl to calm down. No. He didn't like it when Pearl would tease others so what ever he didn't like to do, Pearl tried to avoid doing.

Accepting those feelings made life easier and harder for Pearl to abide by. Her affections increased, with prominent arm locking. Steven didn't seem to mind it all that much, in fact he liked the fact that Pearl became more friendly, even around Peridot when she really still despised her.

Pearl still had time to herself when ever she was back at the Temple. She couldn't afford the others to get suspicious. She knew them too well and enough to allow her to avoid much of their easily predictable characteristics.

Garnet's future vision, to Pearl's knowledge, held particular bias. If Pearls actions around Garnet were consistent, then Garnet would only ever see futures on the ways Pearl would handle it normally. Anything out of sight or out of mind was a good cover. Predictions could only ever work so well if she really knew the person well enough. It was difficult but Pearl didn't mind the challenge.

Amethyst was easy. She was so gullible...believing anything Pearl would say or in some cases take what Pearl would said with a grain of salt but never really did anything to change that fact.

Connie...Connie was an obstacle; a tool...nothing more. Part of Pearl hated taking advantage of her, but she spent some time with the young human, asking her how she was going and if she had plans to break the news to Steven; it was going to be inevitable at some point. She'd grown a bump; albeit it was small. Steven was away too often to notice the changes...since Connie had stopped wearing her conventional clothes and wore huge jackets to cover herself. Stuff Pearl suggested to hide it.

The young acolyte became worried that Steven was going to drift away from her and that if she didn't do something soon that it would end up being worse for the both of them. Deep down, sowing the discord between the two had Connie in the perfect place for Pearl to be for when the time came to Pearl to enact her plan. For now, they were in the courtyard of the Temple, their ideas and work baring some fruit.

* * *

One of the ideas they all had collaborated on was the idea of invading the Yellow Compound through a series of metallic tunnels installed around it. To understand each Compound, was to know the basics of their infrastructure. The Pink Compound, or Compound Four, was derelict and scarcely looked after; the only place worse than that would be the faded, dead dry outside world. You were meant to be lucky to be able to have a bed to lay on and a roof over your head. Thankful for the generousness of Queen Pink.

The Blue Compound, or Compound Three, was a type of relaxed paradise though not without its own sets of rules and order. To keep the populace sedated the air was filtered with unique plants (according to what Peridot could tell them) that had a unique drug like effect on the humans living there.

The Yellow Compound, or Compound Two, was a mixture of the two. The design of it was meant to be competitive, those humans would always try to get Queen Yellows favour through constant competitions. Skills of speed and strength and the like. It was Queen Yellow, who originated the structure of the Coliseums and Arenas and thoroughly enjoyed Death Matches especially. The construction of the Yellow Compound was large, vast...the best ranking humans were the strongest and the most loyal. Steven figured, they would be difficult to convince to change their ways more so that either the Pink or even the passive Blue Compound humans, even allowing some of the tougher ones into Yellow's Legion and for them to rule over the other humans with force if requested.

Most of the weaker individuals born into the Compound who could even survive the tough atmosphere of their childhoods to begin with were dumped with Blue, who had them reassessed and checked to see if they were worth keeping and if not dumped with the Pink Compound. Steven's met some individuals before that had come straight from the Yellow Compound and due to the way they were raised, tried to rule over some of the others but the Quartz Warriors like Jasper would see to their rule would be temporary. For fun, before they would beat the snot out of them. No one came out the same after their meetings with Captain Jasper.

The tunnels were installed as a transportation sequence; more often supplies from the other Compounds would go through them...and a lot of Topaz's and other Peridots would be around to shift the supplies about. Peridot's suggestion was for them to go into the tunnels disguised as a supply cart. A plan that would require Peridot to ensure that she blended in well with her fellow Gems and that for Steven to get inside, he would have to remain hidden until they had gotten to the depot for the logistics gems to process. Steven had hoped Connie would tag along, but to his concern she hadn't been feeling well. Pearl knew, though she could see by Steven's expression that he was suspicious; that told Pearl enough to say Connie had failed to mention anything of the sort of her condition...so it was good that Connie was following her orders at least. Steven respected Connie's wishes and was saddened by the fact she wouldn't be joining them. But, with the ever new eagerness of the Priestess to cheer up her Priest, Pearl willingly carried Steven's stuff in her gem; noting that carrying too much with him could slow him down while they were infiltrating. He'd agreed, although it didn't make him any happier.

So when the time came to leave, the Crystal Priestesses had left alongside Steven and Peridot once they had gone into the outside world, with Connie and her parents holding the fort until they got back.

* * *

The trip to the outskirts took a few days, to where they could see the white tower of Queen Yellows square in the middle of beige coloured towers. The skies their normal, brown and cloudy way, the group came across a tunnel with a series of Topaz Guards and Peridots heading in and out. Security Cameras kept an eye on things...so it had to be done with extreme caution. The group had been hiding behind a cliffs edge, scanning around for any kind of Peridot to be bringing in her load; usually a hexagonal floating platform with multiple steel and cardboard boxes of inconsistent sizes. There wasn't any real order; A Y-2 Peridot came in with a load, who was then checked out by a Citrine whom had been checking stuff on her digital pad, before they allowed the stock inside. 

Garnet had left briefly with Amethyst, while Steven, Pearl and Peridot continued to scope out the scene. Peridot used a pair of unique binoculars to keep an eye on matters. Pearl didn't want to sit and wait, but was content on being by Steven's side more so. He could take on those Topazes surely and Pearl knew he was more than a match for Queen Yellow herself. If he would but ask, he could simply rock up and demand Yellow's presence. The story he told about the Zircon who commented on the Diamonds desire to claim him could hold worthy. It was an idea shot down instantly by Garnet, but Pearl still staunchly believed that it would have been the quickest, most efficient method of killing her.

Given all the chaos that erupted on the news of Queen Blue's demise, everything would have gone on a type of lock down. Amethyst's scouting reports dictated no one actually knew how Queen Blue was really killed; only that it was a human that somehow managed to do so and that Queen Yellow was incredibly pissed. Out of the fact that she had to deal with Two Compounds instead of one, or out of some kind of attachment to her fellow Queen. The relationships between the Queens were kind of ambiguous but they had to be on relatively good terms or at the very least amicable terms.

Shortly after, Garnet and Amethyst returned with one of the metallic, floating steel supply carts. They must have managed to find one nearby or if anything; defeat the Peridot and steal one from her. The how was irrelevant, as they inserted themselves into the cart one by one in the larger boxes, but not before Garnet gave Peridot the Porter Uniform; a green, baggy jumpsuit with Y-2 listed on the front of it. She zipped up the suit, before taking the cart down the cliff and heading towards the entrance.

It was nerve-wracking and there was barely any room to move with the four of them so tucked in. Garnet and Amethyst had shapeshifted to shrink, but Pearl and Steven remained their usual size, curling up next to each other (which had Pearl blush) but otherwise the four remained silent and hoped that this plan would work.

There was a small line before the entrance itself. A series of other Porter Peridots and their Peridot was practically sweating but ultimately held everything under control as much as she could. She knew the formalities, the processes and what not in regards to what she needed to do. Although it had been many a year; uncertain however, to whether any other change had taken place since she was able to walk on her own two feet again. But she was confident they could get through this. It was tense, but they had gotten to the depot, they'd be able to make their own way from there onwards.

Eventually, they had come to the Citrine. Intimidating force of nature but otherwise they were only really there to scan their codes and move on. Peridot allowed the Citrine to scan the cart and while all appeared to be in order as they inspected it, she couldn't help but wonder....

The Citrine gave them the all clear, which was huge concern now off their shoulders, the first step completed as Peridot took the cart inside the depths of the tunnels. Hexagonal, white and yellow with the column of lights leading the way. It was going fine, until the came across a fork in the road. 

The load itself was meant to head to the depot, but she didn't realise there were four Depots in all. She swallowed; failing to take that fact into account. Sweat dropped further down her temple as she looked at the clipboard, running her finger against it to determine what was actually meant to be dispersed with the supplies. Eventually after much digging, she could see these were materials imported from the Pink Compound; scraps meant to be melted down at one of the factories here for weapons. Which would lead Peridot down the right most corridor. She took a deep breath...and headed down.

The way down was long and silent, with the hum of the cart, the jingle of the crates and the sound of Peridot's footsteps the only noises one could really hear. Steven eventually found it hard to breath; their crate only holding so much oxygen for the ride in. He started to breath heavily, as Garnet and Amethyst looked on in worry, as did Pearl.

"Everything alright Steven?" She asked.

He nodded and smiled.

"I'm fine...it's just...a bit hot in here and I'm losing air."

No, that just wouldn't do. Pearl whacked the side of the crate twice to get Peridots attention.

"How much further until we're in the clear, Steven's struggling."

Peridot rolled her eyes.

"The maps did say there was a distance between the entrance and the depots. I estimate another five minutes at this rate." She said.

Though she had been unaware of the scores of security cameras aiming towards them in that instant, ignorance their risk.

Pearl rubbed Steven's back, she was no letting him suffer like that at all.

"Can you hold on for a while longer?" She asked him.

He nodded, though his breathing did get a little heavier.

"I can try, can't someone poke holes in this thing?"

Pearl beamed. There _was_ something she could do. His happiness, a priority she had conducted in recent times out of her twisted adoration like he was once a former, forgotten order remembered.

"As you command! Just watch out!"

With that, Pearl summoned her spear, barely avoiding Garnet and Amethyst who had to shrink down further being struck themselves. With that Pearl prodded a single hole first above them, then a second one. She unsummoned her spear, then smiled warmly at Steven.

"Any better?"

Unaware of the disapproving looks of Amethyst and Pearl, Steven responded with a warm expression, if not slightly confused.

"Uhh yeah...thanks?"

* * *

As Peridot mentioned, it wasn't long until they had come to a complete stop. Peridot had come to a lift to where one would normally place the cargo. Two more Topaz with to lift the cargo on to it, getting them all on the platform one by one to get into the depot. It was there Pearl emerged from the box, and ended up, for what ever reason dumbfounded Steven, and instantly stabbed both of them with a few swings, much to their confusion before the pair of them poofed. As the group emerged, the two Gems laid unceremoniously on the floor, with Pearl picking them up as Steven stood next to her, bubbling and sending them away.

"They certainly didn't put up much of a fight." Garnet commented.

"I doubt they were expecting anyone to be getting in like we did..." Peridot boasted.

"Let's get on."

The four jumped onto the platform, with Peridot dealing with the controls that lifted them up into the depot.

Once at the top, they could see the tall windows that must have reached quite high, with iron bars and gears that shifted what must have been hundreds of boxes, crates...you name it. Peridot checked out a tag nearby, identifying this place as the P-4 Imports. The room was dark, dank and normally had smaller gems like Lemon Quartzes deal with the logistics nearby. The group had to be extra cautious at this point. The tall, rectangular structures allowed them to hide behind created corridors and avoid Lemon Quartzes with ease; their heads were usually down and their focus on their pads. Amethyst took one of them down; their size was usually small for Quartzes, but there were around Amethyst's size anyway, so she ended up sneaking away and taking their Yellow Uniform. Garnet on the other hand, also snuck away briefly, leaving Steven, Pearl and Peridot to themselves once more.

They roamed about; their next goal aiming for an exit. They went upstairs, although avoided Lemon Quartzes along the way, while Peridot had a fantastic idea. Looking up, they could see a room that overlooked the depot. Going inside, Pearl used her spear to strike down a few Lemons in that instant, to where Peridot aimed to look at the room which was filled with monitors and the like; cameras feeding in everything that the facility looked after.

"There should be a map overlay here that should give us all exit points." Peridot commented.

"Let me find the....ahaha here...there's an exit that's not far from here. Should lead to the roof if we're lucky. However, this is where we must split up."

Steven understood that instantly. The secondary part of their plan was put into action as Peridot disabled the camera feeds, to where Garnet and Amethyst had soon caught up with the two and handed Steven a Yellow Compound uniform. Black jacket with yellow trimming that made him look more of an authority figure than anything else. A popped collar and and a grey shirt which had YD-ZO-807 emblazoned in yellow text on the chest and black pants. This would only be temporary, however.

He quickly got changed into it and handed Pearl his gear, while Amethyst gave Pearl her uniform; similar to Steven's but with a black short skirt instead and her top was just black with the letters YD-P484 on the chest. 

"Okay, recap." Said Peridot.

"So, Garnet, Amethyst, remain on the roofs and stay close to Steven, Pearl and me while we head to the Processing Center. We'll get Steven registered to the Compound; since that will be the only way we'll be granted an audience with Queen Yellow for sure."

Steven did not like the idea of doing this all over again. The process itself was quite embarrassing. But, they had to do what they had to...Steven himself just had to steel his nerves.

* * *

The three left the depot to walk the long streets of the Third Compound. It looked more...open than most of the other Compounds. Steven linked it to old human cities in pictures his father used to show him. Industrial was the word, but much cleaner and sleek than that of the dilapidated Pink Compound, with more black and glowing lights of repetitive yellow shades. The scent of the place was less notable than the slight taste of metal....the factories here poured out tonnes of gases into the air, to where they didn't care that the sky was ultra cloudy, only with that sickening hue of yellow brought on magics and pure pride. They strode with somewhat kinda real, kinda false confidence, walking along Gems and humans alike and despite how open it was, it was a bit more empty than they anticipated, making it harder to blend in with the crowd that gave them evil stares more than anything. From both Gems and humans.

"Why are they looking at me like that?" Steven wondered.

"The fact that you're walking with a Pearl is a sign of your status." Peridot said.

"Humans with Pearls are extremely rare. Just hold your head high and don't look anyone in the eye....and you'll be fine."

Steven knew Pearls themselves to be Maidens of those of notable status....but to be allocated to be a human would indeed be quite against everything one would think they knew about the current situation.

"As long as Pearl acts her role as well."

A fact Pearl knew more than anyone...

They'd gotten to the Processing Center not long after; the building itself quite a large, geometric structure with a yellow hexagonal faceted dome. Steven took a deep breath as they stood in front of the glass doors. This had to work. He had confidence in Garnet and Amethyst to keep an eye on things but once he was inside, he was on his own. He had to admit it was easier when Connie was around...so at least, while both of them would be humiliated to a small extent, they wouldn't be doing this alone.

"I will be elsewhere, acting on other things while you two are in there. Shouldn't take you more than half an hour...if there isn't a line of course. Good luck."

Peridot soon left them to their own devices, with Pearl and Steven exchanging interesting neutral looks, nodding to each other before heading inside.

It was of a similar design structure to the one in the Blue Compound, although there was indeed a line of humans standing within there. There were gems similar to Aquamarines floating about, except they were Yellow. Pearl had to explain that they were Heliodores. They were small and didn't fly, but used limb enhancers to do most of the paper work required to process. However, they were just as stuff as anything else was.

Steven felt himself quake internally; the very fact that they had to wait had him anxious and really wanting Connie to be there with him. He felt something grab his hand as he look to his left, seeing Pearl smiling, ignoring the blushing blue cheeks in the meantime.

"It'll be fine. We just have to go in, do the thing and get out. Like last time." She assured him.

If Steven was raised alongside a mother, he imagined Pearl to be that mother. Her touch quite welcoming in that respect. While Pearl said some...interesting comments in recent times, overall he could see that she was at least trying to be respectable...and that was all he could really ask for. She's done a lot for both him and Connie so he had to acknowledge the good she could give in exchange. On the topic of his lover...

"Hey, do you know what's going on with Connie?" He asked.

Pearl had been her mentor, after all and Connie, while they would be able to do a lot of things together and not as much hide anything critical from each other if need be, given how much had been already spilled both intentionally and unintentionally, he couldn't shake off the feeling something else was going on.

"Oh she's just a bit under the weather. She fights so hard that she can waste all her energy in our spars without realising it." Pearl commented.

Maybe...Connie getting sick from that kind intensity had Steven worried that Pearl was pushing her too hard again.

"You're giving her breaks in between I hope?" He asked her.

Pearl grinned. Bless the ever generous Steven, the Priest who would look out for anyone.

"She's allowed to stop any time she wants Steven. She's an Acolyte, not a Quartz. I'm not letting the promise I made to you before go ignored."

Acolytes being stronger than the average human on that count, if Steven had perceived that part correctly. But he still thankful for that too.

"Okay, well she better be resting...." He said, although the matter wouldn't slide out of his head completely. 

Getting back into it, It eventually came to the time as Steven approached the desk and talked with the Heliodore behind it. 

"Yes ZO-807, what do you need?" The Gem asked.

Steven cleared his throat. He wondered what the real 807 looked like.

"Oh I was handed this by....uhhh...some...Citrine as I uhh coming in. I am an import from...the Blue Compound. I need to be registered into the Yellow Compound please."

The Heliodore raised an eyebrow, then looked at Pearl, squinting in suspicion. Willing words perhaps never heard from a human? The Heliodore then whined.

"I keep telling those Citrines to stop taking the stock from the depots that's supposed to go to their proper Compoundee. Ugh If they didn't want to be beaten up as they entered then they should be prepared especially if they're in those stupid Blue Compound Robes....very well, head on in. The Pearl stays here."

Steven squeezed Pearls hand, who ended up smiling at him. The two disconnected as Steven went down the corridor to learn of his fate.

* * *

The room wasn't too dissimilar to the one he'd been in once before....the designs of these places similar except with yellow hues instead of blue. He sat down on the chair and awaited for what ever Gem decided to come.

The door on the other side of the room opened and in came a familiar figure too. A Zircon, except this Compounds equivalent. Steven wanted to get this over and done with so they could proceed to get to Queen Yellow.

"Alright stand up, I don't have all day." She said. She was a bit more rude than the Blue Zircon, as she pulled him off the chair.

"Strip."

Steven swallowed and immediately took everything off as quickly as he could. He hated this part, standing there, naked once again as he covered his gem with his hands. Yellow Zircon took this with zero interest in anything Steven possessed; going through the motions like she went through so many per hour or so. He said nothing, as she went around to scan his gem and pulling up the multiple screens.

"Ah so you're the one they've been talking about." She commented, analysing his profile.

Yup, he's heard this all before. He honestly wanted her to get a move on and hurry up.

"_Seven One Nine_. You're a unique specimen indeed. Put your shorts back on, I don't want to see your appendages fluttering about and follow me."

Steven blinked; he didn't expect this.

"Sorry?"

Yellow Zircon groaned, whacking Steven's head with one of her circular screens.

"Do not question me. Do as I say!" She commanded, her tone raising in pitch.

"Put on your appearance modifiers to a decency standard and come with me..."

He was...perplexed of what she was asking of him but he complied nevertheless...taking his yellow boxer shorts and black shirt as Yellow Zircon stood by the opposing door. She opened it up promptly, as he trailed behind her to enter a strangely dark corridor. Black walls, with the corners lit with long, thin yellow lights along the black marble tiles.

Steven had so many questions he wanted to ask. Did the Yellow Compound do something differently as opposed to the Blue Compound? He was expecting the liquids to cleanse out any of the...wait, he got nothing from the Blue Compound from memory, now that he thought about it. Lucky at some point Connie brought it up during a conversation, suggesting Steven see her mother to get himself fixed up with the Gaian Knights reagents. Though he was thankful for any erasure of curses in the meanwhile...

But right now, as Yellow Zircon walked him down, tapping rapidly on her multiple screens that he could barely begin to understand. His nerves remained fired up, unsure of what was planned for him. The way she said his code name was a bit more disturbing that he originally believed and so the gut feeling in his stomach started to cause him grief with its churns. Though, why did people from the Yellow Compound like long corridors?

A question short lived with Yellow Zircon took him to a door as she unlocked it via the keypad, sliding the doors open and revealing an elevator behind. She forced him in first by pushing him in, his confusion hindering his ability to move at all at certain points. Most of the designs within this place seemed awfully dark, either straight squares or, akin to the shape of the rooms outline, really liked hexagons...and with that, came their descent.

While he didn't move, his eyes travelled to the ever despondent Zircon, who continued to tap away. The way she held herself was more akin to the strict neutralness that he had seen within this Compound so far, but he did it on the faces of the Gems beforehand. Angry or nothing. Envy? Hatred? Steven couldn't tell...they hid it all so well like there was this unwritten social code. Peridot mentioned the status thing but if what he could assume to be the nature of the Compound and its general competitive vibe, that jealousy would be more on the ball on that kind of guess...and the desire to fight this sudden stranger no ones seen before made more sense the more Steven thought about it. Oh well, it didn't matter. He was going to go through this process and he was going to out of here in no time flat. If Queen Yellow was anything like Queen Blue, then this fight should be short.

Arriving at their destination, the doors slide outwards as Steven follow Yellow Zircon into another room with white tiles...it was a lot larger with a big door on the other side.

"Get in the machine over there. Now." She ordered.

To his right he could see some kind of grey cube shaped construct. Walking over, he could see two thin pillars sit on the front corners of a raised platform. He could see the Yellow Diamond Symbol and Y-2 written in black. He did what he was told and stood on the platform. Great, another way to do these strange procedures is what he gathered. Zircon walked over and typed on a control pad next to the device. Steven stood there and watched the pillars in sync, slide back in line with his body. He felt the hairs raise on his chin as an electronic current ran around. It tickled at first, though found himself floating on thin air as two long black rods extended out the pillars, falling inwards and lingering there on a ninety degree angle. Stevens hands and feet were stretched out unwillingly, as he swallowed, as his body was forced to into a star position.

It was then the tall doors behind the Zircon opened, revealing a tall, yellow figure as they entered. Her spiked lifted hair and her bulky armor, with iconic pauldrons and wearing a skirt and knee high dark yellow boots strode in and the look on her face was something that would be, on the surface, displeased but as he looked into her big yellow Diamond eyes, she was absolutely terrifying to behold. She summoned a giant chair to which she had sat on while Yellow Zircon tapped away like normal.

"This the one my Queen?" She asked.

Steven's pupils narrowed as he started to panic.

"Queen Yellow?" He muttered under his breath.

His eyes then locked on to the device and upon closer inspection, it wasn't a scanner.

It was a _torture device_.

The giant yellow gem grinned devilishly, inspiring copious amounts of fear into him.

"_Oh no..._"

This was a big mistake.

"Hello Seven One Nine. We've been after you for a long time. I want you to ask some questions for me." She said.

He was doomed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steven's coding with the uniform is a reference to something but nothing to do with SU. It's actually related to the Seven One Nine reference to in a weird way.


	38. The Second Compound Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven finds himself in a shocking situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure you are all keen to see Steven fight Yellow Diamond.

Queen Yellow lifted her head, and raised her hand as the device rose out of the ground to her eye level, her head leaning in. Her eyes narrowed as she rubbed her chin, looking him up and down those eyes a perilous, intimidating design meant to pierce right into him, like daggers digging not into his flesh but into his soul. To say Steven was petrified, was underestimating how fearful he really was. Her light walks rippled through the floors like tiny tremors created by her massive boots. Unlike Blue, the bulk of her meant her claim to be a God would grow without the doubt. Steven knew otherwise but it was pretty damn convincing.

The room itself was relatively massive in scope, those far shiny black panelled walls of parallel blinking yellow lights; security cameras that streamed and were stuck from the four rows across with countless columns in perfect synchronicity and all were beamed on Steven like eyes...he didn't know what they were; only that he felt their stare like pinpricks on his skin. People were watching. Like an audience he couldn't see...and despite the fact that he wouldn't be seeing their faces, being unable to know how they were feeling or reacting made him feel worse than he would have thought initially. Judgement, without words. A chill permeated in the air and the sterility of the place was the musk of the moment. But Steven could somehow sense burning ghosts in here...all waiting in line for no reason. Or maybe, they had been the Queens previous victims, waiting for the next unfortunate being to join them.

It had been too easy so far. Well, maybe hard but things had gone in the favour and now he was the very mercy of the Diamond Queen before him, the fiercest he's ever encountered so far. Tales of Queen Yellow and her unforgiving temper were well known to those whom had survived being in the Arena with her overly ambitious humans that were raised and trained in her Compound. Anything less would be punished. He tried to tug and pull himself free, but the magical golden clasps had clung around his fists and ankles and the electrical currents running around him had Steven's anxiety increase ten thousand fold. What did she want from him? Her voice was so calm, yet firm, strict as a Commander would be. A leader had to appear powerful, sound powerful and back it up with their incredible strength. The room would seem small to her, but a vast, empty void to people of Steven's size.

"Tall, bulky, puffy black hair....yes the one Queen Blue told me about. You are Seven One Nine are you not?"

Steven was too shocked to say anything at first. But he should have expected as much. How much did she know, anyway?

"Zircon, bolt him."

_Bolt?_

Suddenly electricity frayed every nerve in his body, feeling painful burn as he screamed in agony. He couldn't think clearly but he was right; he was in a torture device and she wanted him to talk.

"Stop."

Steven panted and coughed, his body crackling with the remnants of the electricity. 

"You _will_ answer my questions or else. Now answer."

He nodded, relenting but otherwise was still reeling from how much that really hurt.

"Hmm...my security told me of signs of infiltration...after what happened at Compound Three, I had to wonder....I had seen records of you being transferred to the Blue Compound...but never the less I could not find any recent account of you at the Pink Compound; only that you disappeared after the Riots. Is that true?"

How much did she find out? She had been looking into this for a while and Steven had to admit, that this became way out of his depth, underestimating Queen Yellow immensely.

"Do not-"

"Okay, okay...yes I fled the Pink Compound. I had no choice. I was going to be killed!" He called out, still panting in desperation.

Yellow stood back and put her hands behind her back. Visions of Kiki's face as he was thrown outside of the gates still haunted him to this day.

"If I had to guess, it's that little sect of the Gaian Knights; those Crystal Priestess, that we've been hunting down for years. Tell me Seven One Nine, where are your lot hiding these days?"

Oh no...not the Temple. He zipped his mouth, absolutely refusing to give those details.

"You're going to be killed here anyway, so you might as well talk." Yellow told him.

"Zircon!"

His screams echoed the giant room and yellow lines rose up upon his skin, his eyes turning golden for that moment. He couldn't, he just couldn't divulge anything to her. He wasn't going to risk their destruction by opening his mouth...instead, he could feel the rage within himself gathering at the back of his head. It was similar to the feeling of Jasper trying to kill him as well. This was a little slower to form however...the shocks stopped him from being able to summon anything to his command at this rate.

"Stop."

Released from the shocks for that moment as Steven gathered what little strength and will power he could, but he knew he couldn't keep this up forever...even if he wanted to. The only plan they had if they were captured involved prisons and stupid Guards...no one anticipated the biggest and baddest to capture their best and brightest and hold them not within a cell, but with the confines of something practically impossible to escape from. Steven didn't want to die...directing his fury at the Diamond Queen before him. Perhaps the Gems would realise he would be taking too long. Peridot said half an hour and it had only been twenty minutes, ten of those waiting in line. So he had to hold out, until they would discover that he hadn't come out yet.

Ten or so minutes...the longest of his entire life.

Inhaling and exhaling with burning lungs, Steven glared at the Queen with an intense gaze meant to intimidate, but Yellow wasn't phased by that attempt at all. Looks and splintered words and lies were all the power Steven had right now.

"You are...a resilient one." Yellow complimented.

"How did you do it, Seven One Nine. How did you kill Blue?"

His pupils narrowed as Steven gritted his teeth and gulped. Was there any sense in lying to her about the immaculate death of her sister Queen? The fact that they had to take Blue's Gem down to a specific ruin and conduct a specific ritual with specific items would take too long to explain, so telling the truth would be out of the question for multiple reasons. So he went with the most simple lie he could create and he had to be confident and taking that lie with him until he could find a way out.

"I _crushed_ her." He said, in the most chilling manner he could muster, even causing the Zircon to hold some pause of some sort, freezing before she looked up at her liege.

"You...crushed a _Diamond_?" Yellow said with disbelief.

"What did you use? Who were you with?"

Her increased pitch and pace told Steven she was pedantic; a bit on the unnerved side of the ordeal, desperate and clawing for the truth. The sheer impossibility of God; known to been infallible, destroyed on whim by no better than a mortal human man in his prime. If only Yellow knew.

"I did it. _Alone_." He replied. A lie that wouldn't buy him a lot of time, but every extra second he could create was worth the effort.

"Hmm....Zircon."

A deep inhale as a power channelled through him despite how weak the construct of his body had become; Steven preparing to let Yellow have it without holding himself back.

"**I DID IT _ALOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!_**"

His screams reverberated around the room with such an intensity that it somehow held the power to rock it slightly, that it nearly took Zircon off-balance. Steven grunted in pain and continued to push and strain against the forces against him, the rage going down his spine now. The Queen crossed her eyes and raise an eyebrow, contemplating on how he could hold such a display of strength. She pulled down a rectangular, opaque and yellow screen from above that was being held together by the corners by white, rectangular clamps. She tapped a few things, slide screens across and hummed to herself. Steven wondered if Yellow believed his story, only that he hoped she did. Or she didn't. He would have died by now otherwise that if she had believed him a hundred percent. Right now she as maintaining order as is, dedicated to prying out as much information she can out of Steven as possible. It would take a while but he was not going to give in. 

"Hmm...you hold the signs of a Witch Doctor; you somehow resurrected a human boy and despite all the tests, the only fascinating changes the boy had were pink skin, hair, increased stamina and endurance, resistance to disease and a decreased appetite. You made him into some kind of...familiar? A member of the Undead? Is that what the Gaian Knights were hoping to achieve? Their dedication to life involving necromancy? Or was it more the actions more narrowed to the true causes of the Priestess? Oh how the mighty have fallen on such hard times that we but weep for them."

A topic that Steven remembered studying somewhat, flashing back to reading the books in Amethyst's Library. Under the soft light of the geodes, he would skim through texts relevant to his mothers endeavours, books Pearl had encouraged him to read. She had the power to heal Gems and humans but Pearl mentioned she had resurrected humans in the past, it was often frowned upon by the Gaian Knights; noting it as a form a heresy and forbidden necromancy. What died had to stay dead, their lights once gifted in exchange would return to the Gods upon their spiritual departure. So how the scripture had told them.

"So says you, who stole the power of Tempastas." Steven called out.

"Wasn't that heresy?"

Yellow laughed, such echoes of her chuckles boomed into his ears.

"Stole? Hah...I _am_ Tempastas." Yellow called out. So much for Pearl claiming they wanted to erase any trace of the Old Gods and their existence.

"We are the Gods given form. We are their Avatars...their voices relayed to the mortals and Gems that serve them with honour. Much as how Blue was Miseria Incarnate. So upon her death, her light was tragically dispersed; my little Gemlings scattered and pleading for the pieces return to her dedicated Sister...cause goodness knows White and Pink wouldn't lift a finger to treasure her memory."

Now Yellow was being overdramatic, the way she faked her sorrows with such over the top acting. All for show, all to show the mercy of the Queen. Steven quickly gathered, that the light she had talked about, was the Diamond Energies that flowed into his Gems from hers upon her demise. He allowed the thoughts to accumulate and that perhaps Yellow was lying because she_ wanted_ Blue's Power of Miseria. It would not be out of the Queens character to do so, given how they'd sacrificed to this point anyway. Steven might not have been there when the Unforgiving Sin was made, only that its perpetrators were nothing more than power hungry Warlocks that would do anything to be on top and in control of everything.

Evidence with how Steven figured that Yellow didn't give a damn about the Faded, dry world that they had created...willingly was what Steven suspected. She looked the sort to want wealth, power...the greed that would want her to get more and more of it. The best humans, the best gems. Steven found it disgusting how she could manipulate those around her to try and gain her promise, to be a favourite. The strongest in her legion would be like extensions of herself made manifest. Control in the most complex of ways yet, so simple.

"It's almost as tragic as your founder stole the Gaian Knights from underneath Pink's nose. How, hmm....your leader, the former Captain Rose Quartz, became a traitor and left Pink nothing more than a shell of her former self. She is now the most silent of us and yet she lives before Blue. I would have expected you to kill her first."

It was a thought that Steven had, he wouldn't lie. That information was new however; Rose being a leader of the Gaian Knights before she became the Head Priestess of the Crystal Priestesses and Steven would have believed she would have tried to kill Pink first as well if the situation hadn't gotten to the point where the Diamonds deaths became the only way to save the Faded World. But priorities had them gun for Blue, Yellow and White before her...which would make Pinks death all the while both easier and more satisfying; saving the worst for last.

"You could have had it all, Seven One Nine. Blue would have elevated you to a pristine status if you had stayed loyal. And maybe I would have made the attempt to pluck you from her ranks in that ephemeral time frame and put you with the best of my Legionnaires. So...I'm willing, however...to forgive past transgressions and place you by my side...only if tell me where the remnants of the Knights are hiding."

Power, safety, seclusion in exchange for new loyalties by instant betrayals. Steven would have none of it, spitting at her even if it was obviously extremely futile to do so. 

"_Go to hell_." Steven balked with lowest, growling tone. his glare holding on such intensities for those he truly despised.

The look of disappointment on her face was brief as Yellow adjusted herself, standing up straight as she exchanged looks with Zircon. She'd flipped the switch, allowing the torture to continue...this time, for a lot longer...upon a wave of Yellow's hand, one that was more of a gesture to increase the power of the electricity going from her fingers positioning to turn something up, and Steven reeled, his mouth still opened wide but there were no screams this time. His eyes were encased entirely in golden lights and the lines on his body increased. His head shuddered constantly, Steven eventually facing upwards as his eyes squeezed shut. Streams of bolts went everywhere, and Yellow with half-lidded eyes wasn't pleased by this either, somewhat finding the whole situation a bit more perturbing and disturbing than anything else.

"Seven One Nine, you want to die for a petty cause, then I will let you-huh?"

Her eyes trailed to the glowing circle underneath his shirt. She slammed her hand downwards to tell Zircon to cease again, then watched as the steam rose from his body. The glow around him stopped being yellow, eventually fading into a shade of pink. Steven's skin was slightly tinted from the currents, although the way he panted with extra inflections had her more curious, yet dumbfounded. What kind of magic was gifted to this boy?

"You are a Weapon of theirs I see." She noted.

"They created you to be a version of us. Zircon, lift that shirt for me."

The yellow smaller Gem wandered over, lifting up the bottom of the shirt to reveal his glowing pink gemstone underneath. Zircon tried to analyse herself, bringing up multiple screens from her monocle.

"I don't understand. He is of flesh and general mortal organs but this looks like a legitimate Gem. The quality is astounding my Queen, nothing like I have ever seen!" She stated.

Steven cared less for their analysis. They either would get this over and done with or he will force it to end; his patience was wearing extremely thin and he was willing to bite off if need be.

Yellow hummed, clicking her finger to where a giant, blocky chair rose up from beneath her, having her sit down as she continued to linger her eyes on the man.

"Zircon, leave us."

The Gem raised an eyebrow, perplexed by her Queens request.

"My Queen..."

"**LEAVE**."

Zircon nodded, before she gave a bow and ran towards the door, leaving Steven and Queen Yellow alone in the room together.

"So.." She said, breaking the silence.

"I am extremely curious. Merging Gem and humans together is unheard of it. Impossible in fact. I wonder what kind of ritual was conducted to forge your liking. Were you seeded into the Pink Compound by the Knights specifically to kill us all?" She asked.

Steven had been debating that for a while. He was, at first, confused by his make up. His father was a good, regular guy but Steven assumed he had a lot of secrets, given how much of contraband he'd collected over the years and yet, the Quartz Warriors never really dug into trying to root it out. Now that he looked at it, Steven was surprised that his father survived longer than most whom had collected far less and were even killed for it. Steven's favour with Captain Jasper may have something to do with it and she'd even say she'd kill him if Steven didn't fight for it. But Jasper didn't even know herself about what Steven actually was; only getting a glimpse at the Death Match and their fight by the House of Light. So Jasper would have not been a part of it either; only collecting Steven to use him to gain status and favour, but never really could. He'd chalked that up to Queen Pink's doing but now...

Rose had intended for Steven to bridge the gap between Humans and Gemkind...ultimately, the death of the Queens and to end their tyranny was the only way he could possibly unite them and restore the Faded World to its former glory. For Rose to create him for this purpose gave Steven a little bit of pride but also a bit of worry. Yellow's comment about him being a Weapon held more troubling truth the more he thought about it. His creation was ambiguous and none of the Crystal Priestesses would be able to answer that and no book would ever give any kind of idea of how a hybrid would have been created. The alchemical ingredients, the runes, the spells etc. 

"Only to kill the Queens. Everything else is secondary." Steven said, coldly, his anger empowering his thoughts.

"After you, I am going after White and Pink."

Queen Yellow was less afraid, but more contemplative. She slouched, with her widened legs and her elbows on her knees and her hands in front of her mouth, her eyes half-lidded as she looked at Steven offhandedly, but she was a million miles away in a different realm.

"I'm wondering...the Gaian Knights skill set with magic was more organic in nature; dealing with ancient and some extinct ingredients. From what I have heard on the Auravine, Rose Quartz was one of the more, controversial leaders of the Knights. She's dipped into dangerous territory if she's dealing with magic unknown to any of the older Cults. Miserian Undertakers or even my Tempestan Tellers; I've studied every kind of record since they had been under our command since our Ascension."

Steven furrowed his brows. She would know more than anything; given she was one of the four who enacted the sin. She repeated the fact of his mothers former position and he wanted to know more; He let her talk.

"The Precursor Worshippers had been instrumental in helping us; the only group that is more mysterious than the Knights of Gaia are the Scribes of Psyche; their magic is unknown and she does not like to share."

Interesting. So the Cults once the sin had been enacted were already in league with the Diamond Queens when it happened; even helping them do it in the first place. So the only group that had been really opposed to the idea were the Gaian Knights and from what Yellow had described earlier, had been swiped from Queen Pink. Did they mean they had helped Pink as well in that sense?

"What kind...what kind of magic did those group use?" Steven questioned for two reasons; for knowledge and for time. His pink power faded, his anger mellowed for the moment.

Yellow nodded. Her compliance was promising.

"The Miserian Undertakers use Icon Magic; they can use them as focuses for their spells and so forth. They even created the Spirit Seal Relic; a device that is often used in conjunction with the sacrifice of a Gem that serves a specific, important purpose. To die for a cause is one of the most noble sacrifices our Gems can make. With the loss of our Sacred Kindergarten Temples, that kind of magic hasn't been used in centuries...."

If that meant what Steven thought it meant.

"So you think...I'm a Spirit Seal Relic?" He asked.

Yellow hummed. Something dark hit Steven's stomach and he didn't like it.

"_Mmmmm_ perhaps. But you are a living being and not a device. This holds unfortunate implications."

The more Steven delved into it, it made sense. Queen Blue was killed with the help of the Weeper of Miseria; the mirror that must have contained some kind of spirit; an ancient Gem that had been trapped within it. And if it held some kind of purpose, then its purpose had something to do with Queen Blue. As for the Fury of Tempastas and with Peridot...

"The fusion of Miserian Magic and Gaian Magic....unheard of...it could explain the necromancy."

What was his mother trying to do, anyway?

"What is your magic then?" Steven berated.

Yellow smirked and stood up, putting her hand to her chest.

"Our magic is in our technology." She said with pride.

"Tempestan Tellers deal with more advanced content than the older, obsolete magics of the Knights and the Undertakers. Our technology can improve our lives. Everything from weapons, to armour to that device you're hooked up to. More reliable, dependable with less room for error."

Explained how contrasting this was to both the Pink and Blue Compounds respectively. As for Queen White...

"However, Queen White Diamond's domain is not normally accessible...the Scribes of Psyche work in mysterious ways. Bless her, but her taking random gems and humans from me does happen on occasion. I was really hoping to keep you, but I suspect that White would want to claim you for her own for how unique you are. She normally keeps the interesting ones."

What?

"So...you'll let me go?" Steven questioned.

A response that had Yellow laughing. A silly fruitless proposition but Steven had to try anyway.

"You remind me so much of Pink; before the incident...but now..."

Did she know a lot about Queen Pink?

"The incident?" He asked. The more info he could get, the better...

Yellow sighed.

"Oh poor Pink. She's still reeling from when the Gaian Knights were stolen from her. I gather you're from a younger generation so you probably won't know the story like your ancestors." Yellow said with a sad fondness.

"She's always the Queen that had to have things done differently. But White wouldn't let her make most the outlandish decisions. 'Let me have all the humans' or 'let me borrow some of your Gems'; ambitious to a fault but ultimately, it was up to White in the end. She's always got this...impressive sense of control. The strength of Psyche present in her very making. I only wish I had her power."

Sounded like Queen Pink; she only thought about herself.

"But the day that a Rose Quartz, one of her most loyal, took a contingency of Gems out from under her, forming a tiny rebellion as you might have heard and wrested command and took them elsewhere. Pink and her Compound haven't been the same since."

And then she formed the Crystal Priestesses at some point after leaving the leadership of the Gaian Knights...Steven definitely had to pry more answers out of the Priestesses; especially Pearl.

"I mean, putting Pink out of her misery would be....ideal, that's not necessary. You're necessary right now Seven One Nine."

And the way Yellow said that instantly put a shiver up Steven's spine.

"Here's what I'm going to do. One final offer to join me and you can hold a spot within my Legion for as long I can have you. Or I can dissect you. Absorb your power and find out the secrets that the Knights and the Priestesses have been holding all these years...."

Steven glared at her. She had to know the answer.

"I have a purpose in this world your majesty." Steven said.

"I will never join you...this world needs to be restored."

Yellow sighed, obviously disappointed as she sat down and crossed her legs.

"Very well then. If someone is going to avenge Blue, it might as well be me. Farewell Seven One Nine, a shame you chose poorly."

A click of a finger sent the electricity through Steven's form much more strongly than it had before. The pain was unbearable, the electricity running through him at such a rate that an ordinary person would have been dead by now. But the rage from before was a lot stronger now. He couldn't focus and where he wanted to focus was on Connie's face, he being. He loved her so much. He just wanted to get back the Temple and hold her, touch her...even if it had been a while, he missed her dearly. Steven had to fix things, he couldn't die here, not now, not when he was so close...though as he felt the fire in his veins once again, the beast within him began to emerge out of the carefully constructed cocoon he'd had been molding for months. His heart was beating in his head again...the tranquil no longer was.

Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump.

He closed his eyes and tried to channel his power to use it against the machine; pushing back the currents out of his body with his gem. The yellow glow turned orange briefly as the auras began to merge. He grunted and panted, gritting his teeth as his fists were tightened; the struggle to bring out the energy from his core outwards against the power of the device apparent with every moment spent fighting against it. His eyes flickered between black and pink burned with a bright magenta, a small thin film of a pink aura forming around his body was he continued. Yellow watched on with a peculiar fascination, though stood up suddenly, wary of the flow his power pushing the device to its limits.

**Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump...**

The lines of yellow on his body turned to lines of Pink, his skin and hair turning into similar shades as the device began to shake underneath him, barely able to contain his form. What was this? Yellow couldn't understand. This, what she had perceived was a fusion of magics, an impossibility made possible. The device was listed as critical, as klaxons rung in his ears, making him even more angry by the moment. She was not going to stop him. She was not going to get away with this. Steven was going to crush her. The vision of future clear with the murky fogs of his rage and the high pitched chime of his heavily glowing Gem.

_ **THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.** _

He was fire. He was fury. He was hurting. This was painful, this was tormenting and this was at its core, terrified a wide eyed Queen Yellow Diamond who could only watch. She would have moved, only clicking to turn the device off but constantly failing. The smell of searing flames on flesh was the aroma of the hour as she heard the cries of a man pushed too far. Yellow had made a terrible mistake.

** _"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_ **

His screams became piercing wails and one final strain and push had the machine crack rapidly and _bang_, explode into a million tiny pieces. Yellow shielded herself with her arms as she stood back from the explosion and waited for the smoke and crackles to disappear, only to be unaware of the flying pink monster bursting out from it, flying towards her head as it punched her in the face; a fist that collided with her cheek.

She was shot backwards against the back wall and made a huge dent it, sending the debris of the wall and broken security cameras dropping unceremoniously to the grounds below. Steven, panting heavily with hot air stood back down on the ground, with pink electricity crackling around him as the room turned a magenta hue. The anger and hatred on his face was the opposite of everything that Steven stood for.

Yellow struggled to stand up on her own two feet, but when she did, she'd become frantic, with tears running down her face as she fired a bolt from her fingers. Steven summoned his Shield instantly, deflecting every feeble attempt to strike him. If the device couldn't kill him, then what kind of petty shots from her would even effect him. She would try anyway, even as he ran around the room to try and find a good angle and time to attack her.

The fight between them became a huge brawl. Steven tried to gain every advantage to strike with rapid punches against every part of her body. It did cause her pain, but it wasn't enough as she could take everything that he dished out to her. His power demolished Jasper with ease but Yellow was practically deity not necessarily in name but in strength. However, Despite Yellow's towering size, she could only do so much against a foe that was quicker than her, not to mention how he was able to to throw his shield into her eyes, right before he jumped up and latched on her Gem. She tried to swat him and pinch him off of her as he pulled her Gem outwards; attempting to take it out. This was a lot harder without something to instantly poof her. What he would do for some kind of sword or a weapon to pierce her with. She was then able to final get her fingers around his body, which forced him to push a pink bubble outwards. It had Yellow instantly lose her grip, but the event had him fall off her chest as he descended to the ground.

Yellow stomped her foot into the ground which had the room shake again. Now she was the one who was incredibly pissed off.

"Enough." She said, her golden aura rippling outwards with electricity.

"I shall bury you in this place. Let's see you get yourself out!"

She threw a series of bolts to push him back to the other side of the room; the bolts hit Steven's Shield which had him sliding backwards against the back wall. With considerable distance, Yellow opened the larger door and fled, which Steven had attempted to run after her, but the tall yellow doors slid shut before he could get through. The room then shuddered much more consistently as tremors of increasing magnitude. The roof began to fall in; giant black pieces dropping down left and right. Steven grunted, whacking his head for getting himself into this position. No. He had to get out. Turning towards the door where the elevator was, he ran towards it and tried to pry it open with fingers. It was locked tight but Steven couldn't give up.

A chicken move for someone proclaiming to be the strongest; Steven was really in the mindset that he was disappointed in not being able to continue the fight with her. Why the power high for himself was not of his concern, only that he just wanted to get out there again to stomp Yellow on the surface; the perfect opportunity to show the people of the Yellow Compound that their God-Queen was nothing more than a coward. Sweat rolled down his face, the struggle against the doors met with the tiniest sliver of success. His heart was beating harder than ever; his grunts still echoing under a secondary inflection as he managed to create a thin gap with the doors. Come on Steven, you're going to die if you don't get this open.

He took a deep breath, the fires in his mind hotter than the sun that he'd only heard so much about. He was the sun, to melt those who got too close but to warm those at a safe distance. The alarm klaxons drove him crazy and the vibrations and the sounds of the roof tiles banging down behind him were tiny compared to the frontline thought processes that drove him to continue; how such a strong will power to push on was critical at this moment. The world depended on him. The world had depended on his mother and her claims to find a better way to save everyone. And now with the revelation that perhaps, he was this so called, Spirit Seal Relic; nothing more than a weapon to be used against the Queens and using his mothers sacrifice as motivation, that maybe, her spirit had been with him this entire time.

He was made for this, this was his existence; forged and developed...the Micro-Temples, designed for him to learn how to fight and grow in this world. That in the end, his end game was to end the conflicts once and for all.

"Mom, you're with me...I know that now, more than....I did before." He claimed.

"I _will_ fulfil this purpose for you. I...will.._not_...fail!!! _Grrrrrryaaahhhhh_...."

That last final push had Steven successfully open the doors, which groaned under their forced shifts aside. He ran in, before the last bits of debris had fallen to block his path into the room. No matter. His attention was soon turned to the nearby elevator.

* * *

Once at the top, he could see the groups of gems AND humans baring his path. Steven did not wish to hurt them. He held no quarries with any of them. Clad in their gear and eager to tango with Steven, they weren't feeling the same way. Steven sighed and cracked his knuckles anyway; he didn't want to do this, but if he had to.

"Guys, you better stand back." He said, baring a disturbing grin on his face that he wasn't even aware he was making.

"My issue is with your Queen. I will free you all from your lies. She's nothing more than a monster and I will make you see."

They charged at him all at once. Steven closed his eyes, trying to hold himself back from hurting them too much, envisioning that they deserved better than being manipulated and lied to, being brainwashed to believe in sheer amounts of propaganda daily and the amount that was instilled into them to hold onto the false facts with their dying breath. Never the less, Steven aimed at them at ways that only knocked them out, using his shield to push them back away from him.

Once the crowd was dealt with, Steven exited the Processing Centre, to see the Compound in flames. Memories of the Pink Compound riots fled into his brain, instantly shutting him down. Screams, Quartz Warriors and Compoundees....except this time, he could see a tall, monstrous Gem with six arms, wild turquoise hair firing out a charge of flames out of secondary, razor sharp teethed mouth towards a back walking Yellow Diamond, whom had been trying to fight it. Steven was confused...he could see the multiple Gems, noting that it was indeed a Gem fusion that he had never seen before.

But Steven couldn't help but flash back again...feeling small underneath the influence of such a sight and the way his throat clogged up and the cement heaviness that prevented him from moving his feet had him fall to the ground, despair ruling the host.

The burning Ghosts ran by him, one by one....until there was an entire swarm; mistaken from the multitude of Third Compoundees running afoot, unsure of what they should do.

Steven felt the same. All this talk about him being a weapon. And yet he couldn't use himself right now. He did not want to fail his mother, he couldn't disappoint her. No. He couldn't. But why was this dragging him down so much? Could he simply not let the past just...go? He had to be better than this...he just had to. He couldn't move, not until he felt a pat on his shoulder.

_Steven..._

That sounded like Kiki..._oh no_...it was happening again. No no...

_Sorry Kiki, I'm so sorry..._

"Steven!" Another voice cried.

"Geez, you look like a mess! What took you so long?"

He looked behind him, seeing the infamous Architect Mage Peridot before him. He looked down into a glass shard in front of him, seeing how much he had been frayed with his skin looking slightly charred and lines from the torture shocks running up his neck. His hair was a mess too.

"I...I was interrogated." He said, meekly.

Peridot blinked. She took his hand and helped him get up on his feet.

"Interrogated? And you _lived_?" She said with shock.

Steven nodded.

"I think so." He replied. He could have been dead for all he knew? He wiped the tears away from his eyes with the back of his arm and pulled in resolve where he could.

"But that doesn't matter now, we need to take her down."

Peridot couldn't agree more. She was the same as him potentially; a Spirit Seal Relic. Someone he had something in common with. Someone designed with purpose. A weapon. He wasn't alone in this. Not by a long shot. Where years were spent trying to decrypt a mystery of the ages was boiling down to being the right person for the right moment. He had a reason to exist. He was meant to be here, right now and to continue this ever lasting fight and he was meant to finish it. It was meant to make him feel good but somehow it had him feeling terrible.

He figured he'd get over that at some point; dedication to this extent wasn't meant to feel good. He didn't like poofing and destroying the Unsaved Ones but it had to be done. This had to be done, no matter how painful it seemed.

"Roger that." She said. adjusting her visor.

"We've been away trying to find something to restrain her. Follow me, we've got a plan so I'll explain everything on the way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes that was Alexandrite.


	39. The Second Compound Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven goes with Peridot to help take down Yellow Diamond.

Peridot made the most sense to Steven (besides Connie) He appreciated her smarts and her development within the Priestesses over these last few months. And now that the both of them were kind of the same type, it made him feel less alone in the grand scheme of things. She open to criticism and would critique in return. A mutual respect bound in their favour until when the time would come to where they were needed. Yellow's words gave him pause, about being a Relic, a powerful one at that with the true power to destroy Diamonds. So he wondered, and wondered he did about such a purpose...a purpose like Peridot's and maybe even the Gem Spirit in the Mirror...holding the keys to their true victory.

He could see why his mother would forge him as such; to go back to the Old Ways and the Old Days; it would be the only way to see the sun, the moon and the stars and the rain. It made more sense to him than anything else; solidifying his purpose and his cause even more and he would be able to do it with newfound confidence. If he could lead the Crystal Priestesses to this glory, then it would be the biggest honour achieved and the colour of the world would be their own again; no longer their enemy.

Peridot's plan involved taking advantage of some of the infrastructure provided by the Yellow Compound. Steven was apprehensive at first, but Peridot not once lead them astray; her duty to fix this gave Steven just as much confidence as any other of the Crystal Priestesses. The smell of ashes and fire among the winds, his aching charred body from Yellow's torture device...Steven was reeling from pain from all of his senses and he felt the sweat, dirt and grime on his skin. Nothing new in this climate but now the ashes were resting on his face akin the more common sensation of sand, except a lot worse and constantly driving on throat slashing coughing fits. The skies grew dark as smoke rose up into the clouds, intermingling and the glow of flames lighting up the night of the day in this place of once smooth, curved shiny black and yellow surfaces of this particular cityscape. The atmosphere held many hues of black, yellow, orange and red, amplifying the dread. Fear could have been the directive, but his hard earned courage prevented him from letting it command him.

He protected Peridot from rampaging Compoundees and Citrines; the warriors from Yellow's legion which were numerous and out for blood. Steven used his shield offensively as well as defensive, pushing back the legions with everything he had. Peridot was small, but feisty herself; using her telekinetic power over metal to bend street lights, forcing some warriors to fall gut first and having their bodies spin around before being flung elsewhere. They were tenacious, but any time given was a gift as Peridot took Steven where they needed to be.

As they ran through the streets, Peridot mentioned that the Compound utilises giant underground cables to connect the power supply and her plot was to find a panel that was large enough for her plan to work. They ended up going down a surprisingly quiet street near an empty intersection, as Steven checked the perimeters first to make sure they weren't being followed. Explosions echoed around the tall buildings...with the big fusion fighting off Yellow Diamond was still going in the background. There were some fighters going against the grain; humans and Gems even fighting each other...which served as evidence that everyone wasn't exactly on the same page. Turning back to Peridot, she found a huge metal panel fixed to the ground and had been going to work to remove the panel itself. It was nailed down by massive screws to which Peridot was trying to unscrew them as quickly as she could with her powers, but the screws were rather stiff. Four giant screws in all on each corner of the steel plate, but she was only dealing with the first one, the grind of the spiralling shift proof of her struggles as she gritted her teeth. Steven ended up running to the other side out of impatience to try to get it done faster, but he ended up going at a slightly faster pace than Peridot's attempt. During this time, Steven contemplated Peri's big plan, only knowing that she needed the cables.

However, Steven was forced to stop as Citrines came around the corner. Armed with the projectiles and batons, Steven ran over to anxiously defend Peridot, summoning a larger version of this shield to deflect the laser pulse blasts. They kept charging through, which forced Steven to push forward, throwing fists and kicks to slam into these tough Quartz Warriors. They weren't like the ones from the Pink Compound. They were a lot more relentless and unforgiving. He got hit a few times, but that served to make him angrier. The group got larger as Steven was surrounded by these black uniformed soldiers...so in anticipation for the much more brutal combat...he sighed as he cracked his neck and his knuckles, foreseeing this as a long fight.

Singed, shot, sizzled....Steven was exhausted but by the light of his pink aura that channelled around his body allowed him to give the smack down. At times he'd had to jump in the air to pummel the hell out of the Citrines, even poofing a few with enough force behind his throws and throwing his shield around as it bounced from Citrine to Citrine. He puffed, he panted...he roared...he screamed. A fist to a face, a kick to the gut...to and from. It was from his rage, that it fuelled his fire as it did many times before. The pink electricity that crackled around him, his power ever growing in the onslaught. The Citrines were persistent, fearless and proved to be challenge in both number and the strength of the Gems. In the back of his head he kept telling Peridot to hurry up...however, another group came in his direction...which is when Steven put his foot down...and when he did, he did it was such force it burst a crater into the black concrete beneath as he took deep breath and tightened both of his fists. His head leaned back as his eyes turned hot pink and let out a screaming so piercing and loud, it created a hot, forceful gust of wind so powerful, it sent the forces flying backwards and tumbling down like rows of dominoes.

By this point, Steven's lungs felt they were burning...a combination of what had been done to by Yellow prior and the amount of his power he was using. It hurt and Steven felt a headache knocking on the temples of his head. Even as he coughed and tried to compose himself, Peridot was just about done with the screws. She'd turned to Steven, not having paid any attention to his brawls and now that her focus was him, she jumped in surprise. Her eyes widened at how the sizzling streams of steam rose from his skin. His clothes a little more torn with bullet like holes all around and the cuts to his face and chest and arms as blood dribbled out. Looking behind him, she could see the massive piles of yellow Gems behind him and in the silence and the sound of hissing from the smoking mess he created, Peridot gulped. Her eyes darted back to his face...and witnessed the fade of his power that was written all over his frustrated and breathless expression, hearing every gravely grunt he made.

"You alright?" He asked, voice raspy.

Peridot swallowed and nodded. He came across as threatening in form but his tone indicated he was still focused on assisting her. She was glad he was on their side...

She stood up and raised her hands; to which the panel had risen on her command. She threw it to the side, revealing the thick, black cables with the occasional silver, metallic ring underneath.

"We need to get Yellow over here. I will work with the cables." She said as she began to make the descent.

Steven nodded.

"How much time do you need?" He asked as he rubbed his neck.

Peridot rubbed her chin.

"I will be able to work a lot faster underground. Give me ten minutes or if you can't hold on, try five..."

Steven nodded as he wiped his forehead with the back of his head. More work, but he was willing.

"I'll give what I can spare. Good luck."

Peridot blinked at Steven set off, confused as to who should be having the luck here. She shrugged, descending into the dimly lit caverns underneath the compound, where she was able to continue her work....

* * *

Steven took in all the air he could, running down the streets, blocking what he could with his shield and fighting through other groups of Gems. The sounds of war conducted the terrifying music around him as they normally would. He couldn't help but continue to flash back to the Pink Compound Riots. The memories of humans dying to save him still tormented him to this day. He'd come across shattered Gems....and human bodies on his way towards Queen Yellow and the Giant Fusion. Part of him wanted to help and heal them, but there were so many....he'd stopped in his track in the middle of a desolated and cracked road and had fallen to his knees as the pain became too much. He put the palms of his hands against his aching temples as the headache continued to worsen. Tears fell, dropping heavily onto the ground beneath him.

He didn't want this. He didn't want to cause this chaos. He didn't want to breath death into this place. He just wanted others to see and to listen...to talk and to understand...but they craved this violence as it was encouraged but Queen Yellow herself. He never wanted to come here...not for this...so many dead bodies...so much blood and eyes left open, but no souls remained.....he inhaled deeply and forced himself to stand up...and looked at his hands.

Steven _was_ a weapon. Weapons hurt others and if this was the type of thing weapons did then he did not wish to be a part of it. The world deserved better than this....it deserved more than people vying for control and desperate for power to lord over other beings. He was meant to destroy the Diamonds and he wanted so badly for things to return to normal. His heart was sewn with needles of anguish that served to be nothing more than just being tight and uncomfortable. He shook his head.

No. Peridot needed him...Peridot needed time. Like Connie needed him. The Gems needed him. The world needed him. Right now. More so. The restoration of the world was worth more than his pain. That much was clear.

His internal arguments were forced to become instincts of self-preservation as Queen Yellow and the Giant Fusion crashed through one of the taller lithe towers. Steven stepped back, watching their fight unfold. Two giants and here Steven was trying so hard not to keel over himself from how much was boiling within. His focus changed as Queen Yellow pushed the fusion into the next building, then turned to see Steven standing there before her. She looked worn and unkempt from their battle.

"You!" She called out, surprised to see him there.

"You're still alive I see...."

Steven stomped down and stood his ground; making face as to not appear weak in her eyes. She narrowed her look on him, before the fusion smacked Yellow in the face and tried to grab on to her torso. Steven had to think fast. Peridot surely had to be done soon.

"Takes a lot to take me down your Highness." He mocked.

A combination of the trepidation and the desire to destroy her threw him into a loop, the idea of getting her to follow him would work on her own desires to stomp him into next week. 

"Maybe I should have taken you from your Compound when I had the chance. At least you wouldn't be so bratty, Seven One Nine." Yellow said, brushing signs of her fight from her chest.

A question that had been on his mind for a while. Not necessarily at the forefront of his thoughts, but a question that liked to trickle into his head on random splices in moments. He knew the process when it came to how the Compounds deal with their humans (save for the mysteries of the White Compound) It was a question, even Captain Jasper had asked, just as much as she craved the need to get into Yellow's Compound. But there were never any clear answers.

Maybe now, he could.

"Why didn't you?" He asked, leering up at her with a strong glance.

The world phased out briefly, the reality outside of Yellow and Steven turning extremely dark and for some reason; extremely cold with the winds howling on the opposite side of the breeze. Fog breath returned as he breath, holding himself in as he shivered to the coldest of breeze that flowed around him. The stench of smoke disappeared. It was odd, although...the memories of the cold, infamous and mythical snow was in his head again. Snow, like sand, but white. White like ash but not as rough or as messy. White ash? Black ash? Cold snow, white snow.

Cold world, white world. Words messing with his head again.

But why was Yellow here with him? She stood there, confused briefly, looking around in this subzero realm of nothingness and gusts of wind like ghosts running past him, their chill in minuscule touches on his scorched skin. Not entirely unpleasant but still relatively uncomfortable. Though the was a sudden shift in Yellow as her eyes turned an icy white themselves; throwing Steven into a bind of not knowing was going on, although the scenario felt familiar, seeing the Queen in this position wasn't. A new soul reached out to him, giving Yellow an uncanny smile as she looked at Steven, a stare that froze him instantly...the fear was now controlling him.

_Return, Alone, Starlight, Home...._

That whisper again. Like the words he had heard before he was...

The curse? No no...he couldn't let her do that to him again. Garnet did mention that it was something to do, something with Queen White. She knew Steven was getting closer to his goal and kept a close watch of the situation. So no doubt would be that she was amping things up after Queen Blue's demise and that her taking command of the situation outside of his dalliance into the meditative state. The danger was ever on the increase.

_Listen well child_

_Need not to fear_

_Find thine Beacon_

_With no one near._

Steven stood back, his hands on his temples again as he heard the wooden chimes. He looked to the tall building next to him, seeing scores of them hanging from the walls around him. The rage piled up as he started to hyperventilate again, his chest rising and falling in short, sharp intervals. No. Not again. He had to push it out and erase it. Next thing he knew, he felt the energy within himself begging to burst out as his body could barely contain the uprising power. Throwing fists, he had to get out of this crazy, freezing dimension.

He shook his head and stomped on the ground again, screaming absolute terror towards Queen Yellow which served to almost topple her over with the ferocity of his screeching. The world turned back to normal in that instant, the clouds returning and the Giant Fusion barely able to leap out of the way of Steven's deadly wail, hiding behind one of the buildings to avoid his screech. Falling over onto his hands, Steven tried so hard to get back the air he had forced out of him, putting his finger around this throat to massage the aches through it.

Queen Yellow had barely held onto the side of a nearby tower opposite the Giant Fusion, but then with new determination, jumped into action as she tried to attack Steven. Running towards him, Steven immediately took the opportunity to make a run for it. He sprinted as hard as he could though he wasn't that much faster than the much taller Queen Yellow whom was busy throwing bolts at him, to where he either dodged and deflected them with his shield. Running towards the intersection where Peridot was, he stopped right in the middle of it. He hoped what ever Peridot had in store, that she would do it soon.

Skidding to a halt, Steven panted and held his shield up as Yellow stopped in her tracks too, wondering what in the Faded world Steven was doing, but that didn't take precedence over her pure hatred of the man. She stood there, gathering the energy of her power in her hand as it flickered with electricity, her frustration mingled with her confusion of everything around her. Riots, just like the Pink Compound incident, took place as the Giant Fusion had caused the same amount of chaos like he had...

"Any last requests Seven One Nine?" She asked, coldly.

"It is a deep shame that I must kill you. Your demise by _my_ hand should be _slow_ and _painful_ and drawn out to get every piece of grief and then some. But I will suffice in giving you a quick death....if only you can tell me where your people are hiding..."

The Crystal Priestesses? The Temple of Obsidian? Never. Though, Yellow was under the delusion of there being tonnes of other Priestesses out there when they were only so few. Garnet would say never to give out the true number of your forces...so it would serve to grow paranoia in their enemies for them to forever guess the truth in false estimates. Sound advice in this scenario it would seem.

"Mom made me for the sole purpose of erasing everything the Unforgiving Sin had done to this planet." Steven choked out.

And to play dedication to noodles, soup or beans or beef jerky...biscuits and jam and canned fruits and even delectably potent cupcakes. These things were worth humanity...these things were worth fighting for. For Purple Bears and for pink lions of all shapes and sizes and make. Restoring the world meant sharing those joys to the generations that would come after. People made their own morals and cultures and dedications to arts lost and forgotten. The Maheswarans examples of the old freedoms once had and preserved through time. 

Travelling with Connie was a boon, gaining more than he ever could on his own. Evidence of the strongest types of humans with the power to change their own fates and to command themselves...not being listed as some generic numbered creature to be used and abused.

"I am a Crystal Priest and I will bring Courage back to both Gems and Humans...and bring about the harmony of a new age."

Yellow rose an eyebrow, then started to cackle, bring tears to her eyes.

"Haha...what a speech." She said, still trying to calm herself down.

"You sound just like Rose Quartz. I am not surprised that that kinda of mantra would be stuck to her subjects. But you on the other hand, creation....a tool...your usefulness will end if you actually succeed in doing what ever it is you think you're doing."

A new idea that had edged its way into his head at full speed whether he liked it or not. She had to be wrong, but the nagging voice at the back of his head told Steven that it was a potential truth with that type of outcome...and he hated that he thought that. He had so much to do. So much that he could help with once they win this.

"We had given humans purpose. A reason to live and the reason to forever improve themselves. You might have an unholy stench and you die and you rot but I had always been impressed with humanities will to live despite the way the world has become. Progression through the ages and to fight to the death is commendable. Reward the best and discard the rest."

What a horrible policy and philosophy. That was not a way to live. 

"Now enough babbling. Tell me...now..."

Her power crackled around her hand, her aura against him could only go so far...as his own endurance could hold on to what ever she could throw. His shield could take it and they could make a complete mess of this intersection. Steven didn't honestly keep track of time, his head elsewhere in the realms of his own splintered focus. He'd hoped he'd given Peridot enough. So Steven lowered his head, but his eyes pierced into Yellow which served to annoy her even more. But she was where Steven needed her to be. That's all that really mattered during this critical moment.

"No." Steven said firmly.

Yellow rolled her eyes.

"Very well, let's do this again!"

As Yellow fired her charge at him, Steven slammed his shield into the ground with enough force to crack the concrete, using the vibrations to contact the green Gem.

"PERIDOT NOW!" He roared.

He could see the brief glimpse of confusion on Queen Yellow's face as she looked around. Four panels on each road of the intersection burst upwards as dozens of black cables rose up out the the holes in the ground, twirling about as Yellow tried to figure out what was going on. The ends of the cables were cut and static electricity flared everywhere. Yellow tried to shock them herself, but the outer sections of the of the cables consisted of a hardened rubber, granting them the durability required as the cables curled around Yellow's body from all directions; and locked her in place with her arms pressing against her torso. From her shoulders to her feet she was in the tightest of coils, grunting and griping against the strain of the sheer tightness being thrust against her.

Steven chuckled, putting his hands on his hips....once again, impressed by Peridot's handiwork. She popped out one of the holes and stood next to him as she crossed her arms. He could imagine that she was the weapon made to defeat Queen Yellow in this instance, as Yellow looked down at her, squinting before widening her eyes in realization as to whom she was looking at.

"You..." Yellow muttered, stunned.

"You're the Spirit Seal Relic! The Fury of Tempastas!"

Come to think, that Yellow saw herself as Tempastas. To see the fear written in her eyes was quite satisfying.

"You betrayed our God the moment you thought yourself above everyone else." Peridot called out.

"I served you because you were our best of us....the Tempestan Tellers who would preach your words; the once proud voice of our God."

Yellow grumbled.

"To think you were the unfortunate Gem brought into this particular acquisition." She said, still shuffling about to get herself free from her bindings.

"You realise that once you kill me, you too, will_ die_."

Steven furrowed his brows, turning to Peridot with the perplexing notion. He only understood the Spirit Seal Relic process from what Yellow had already told him, but saying that, Peridot was an Architect Mage; she would have to know more about this for sure.

"What's she talking about?" Steven queried.

Peridot lowered her head and smirked.

"Spirit Seal Relics cease functioning if the purpose they once were created to serve no longer exists. My original purpose was to help enact the Unforgiving Sin. While I do not remember the details of the event, I was instrumental in helping insert a Lapis Lazuli into a mirror to help with the process for Queen Blue. But given that she's already dead, I would imagine that the Lapis that once resided in that Mirror, disappeared...and ascended to the Beach of the Gods."

The Beach of the Gods; the heavens that Pearl once told him about. When Gems die, their spirits would rise to return to the source of their fabled creators, so how the story goes. As for humans, Gems would tell them they would die alone and never get the pleasure to enter paradise...only that they would find nothingness, at the End of a Dark Corridor, where one would envision a gaping maw to swallow them whole. Their time, their existence no longer required in the eyes of their true Gods. Humans should have been grateful to even exist at all. Steven imagined for every one of the Unsaved he'd crushed, their spirits would find peace on the Beach.

Steven swallowed. This startling revelation had a mild bout of panic rise up in his throat like bile.

"And I rewarded your service by turning you into a Precursor Relic! After your successes to create the Weeper, the Rage and the Light were completed, White asked me to allow you to become a part of that which had allowed our kind to be greater than we had ever been..."

What? Peridot helped create the Precursor Relics? Why didn't she tell him this? Why didn't she mention this at all?

"And I am willing to die to fix my mistakes." Peridot said. There was no sadness in her stance...only anger and disappointment. She then turned to Steven, her focus entirely on him.

"I'm sorry I never told this to you." She commented....the sadness in her tone now only arriving.

"My power had been sealed into the Cube for a long time and it took me forever to remember everything before I was sealed...and my last thoughts before being shut away were of nothing but harsh distaste for my Queen...for she who would claim it was the only way...I had always felt...it was going against the Gods wishes...and for many years, alone with the single digit thoughts, hearing voices....that I was right. An Architect Mage is meant to create...not to cause harm against the world the Gods created for us to live in."

Being sealed inside something, not being able to move or talk to anyone must have been tormenting. Pity was the feeling Steven felt for the poor Gem.

"I had implanted her with the geas not to tell another being. You must have figured out a way to uplift it." Yellow commented.

Peridot grinned. A geas?

"I rung it out of your Zircon." She said.

"Forced her to give me the potion to erase curses. That sort of thing."

Yellow chuckled. That obnoxious Gem had no chance against a relentless Peridot.

"She tries hard that one." She said with fondness.

The point that Steven had been increasingly anxious and tortured about was the fact that these two were taking this so...casually. Peridot didn't have to die....Steven didn't want her to...there had to be a way to save her. He didn't want to left alone...and what about his purpose? Would that mean if..and when...his throat clogged up just thinking about it, his hands by his temples again as the headache worsened. A weapon once it fulfilled its duties...ceases to be...

Steven didn't want to die either.

He put his hand on her...tears running down his eyes.

"Peridot...there has to be another way..." He cried.

She put her hand on his and smiled warmly.

"You're doing good work here Priest." She commented.

"The Gods would be proud of you."

It wasn't the Gods he was worried about.

"But I'm fine with this. You don't need my help after this. You have the Rage of Gaia with you...you just need to find the Light of Psyche...."

A voice entered his head.

The Beacon...

"Where is this Light?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head.

Yellow then sighed, defeat suddenly upon her.

"You aim to take out White? From what I heard... the location of the Light was somewhere so...secure...locked down. It actually requires the three of us....and since you have already taken down Blue..."

_Cold..._

"He has Blue's Power within him. It will suffice." Peridot answered so suddenly, so surely.

Yellow lifted her chin, scanning Steven with her giant, hardened eyes.

"Hmmm...yes....I see...." She murmured.

"But yes...for you reach the Light, you will need to kill Pink first. But before you do, you will need to ask her. For she is the only one who really knows where the Light is located..and that you will need my power to unlock the way inside."

Queen Pink? She knows where it is? What right does she have in knowing where White's Precursor Relic is? It made little sense...then again, not much else did. One question did roam his mind though.

"Given your mighty display to coerce me to join you, why are you telling us this willingly? And not because we've got you locked down with no where to go." Steven asked.

Yellow closed her eyes and looked down.

"Because I can." She said.

"Because I know White has something up her sleeve. She's been secretive for far too long. Queen Blue was only the one I really cared about...and with her gone, I have nothing else to protect...and Queen Pink is dead to us....so she might as well be dead with me and Blue...and you exude passion, power and confidence in battle when pushed. Seven One Nine...I've seen your records from the Pink Compound and the Arena matches you've participated in over the years. You're strong and I respect strength and resolve. For that you are rewarded..."

And pity was that feeling come around again...as well as guilt too.

"But then again, maybe you are cursed to die in the end with us...so what ever you achieve. White's cessation, Pink's cessation...I know for certain that you will _never_ live to see the results of it...and as petty as a type of revenge that might be, I will take it in due course with a bit of post-death satisfaction."

Steven looked down, locked in the trail of dire thoughts, unaware that the Giant Fusion had caught up with them. Light encompassed Yellow's form from behind with a huge arrow being pulled from the strong of a gigantic bow being aimed towards her back. Yellow smiled, looked at Steven like she had already won...even as she had lost.

"Good bye....Seven One Nine."

* * *

Steven fell to his knees as the arrow made impact with Queen Yellow, her form burst into stardust as the cables burst into flames around them. Peridot pulled him out of the flames and the massive explosion to boot, but his mind was still transfixed on disturbing revelations that he could barely function at all, the shock, the fatigue and the every tiny piece of pain amplified to nerve freezing agony.

She'd pulled him to a safe spot nearby, slamming him against the nearby wall as he slid down. Peridot could only watch ahead of them as the Giant Fusion caught Yellow's Gem. They walked over the fire and to their direction where they instantly unfused into Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. Garnet carried Yellow and put her into a bubble; warping her back to base instantly. Steven had since zoned out entirely, burn out by everything he'd felt, witnessed, actioned and had heard so far. It was too much for him to stand on his two feet, his hearing all but listening on to a fuzzy pinging noise, his heartbeat and his heavy bated breath as he slouched, his half lidded eyes looking down on the ground but not really honing in on anything else but the inner gut churning. He didn't even notice the frantic Pearl coming to his side, calling out his name and pleading for him to answer her. She was on her knees, slapping his face gently to get him to look at her. All strength sapped, all rage gone in an instant in way that he just couldn't stop thinking about his eventual fate...and he couldn't tell Connie...he couldn't...but...

It was too hard to think of anything else by this point. Pearl kept pointing out the fact that Steven looked absolutely dreadful...he'd forgotten about the scratches and the marks made by the laser on his body and Pearl tried to assure him that they were going to clean him right up. She wanted to argue with Peridot as to what the hell happened to him, only for her to point that she did nothing and that he was only doing what he could to take down Yellow...Steven could explain himself but his mouth didn't want to open or utter any tangible word...only the need for oxygen being his priority right now.

Amethyst ended up dragging him to his feet, witnessing the huge hollowness in his expression, clicking in front of his face to get his attention. Peridot on the meanwhile, had a vague suspicion of certain things...familiar guilt was thrust on her chest too for different reasons...she would at least prefer to speak to Steven in private before they decided to go through with destroying Yellow's Gem; it was the least she could do for the Gems and the young hybrid taking her in after all this time.

"Just take him back to the Temple." She said.

"He's not in a good shape to answer your enquiries Pearl."

Pearl then glared at her as Amethyst held his hand, allowing him to lean on her to prevent himself from falling over.

"What do you know Relic?" Pearl balked.

"How do I know you didn't curse him?"

Peridot knew all about curses. This was not hers.

"I didn't..." She muttered, narrowing her eyes on the Pearl.

"He's just...like this."

In honesty she had never dared to emote, that Pearl just wanted to be angry at Peridot...she'd dared to be close to the man she loved and now he was in this horrendous state once again. How dare he be treated this way? Pearl could fix this and only she could, in the darnest of her own internal, demented form of her truest beliefs.

"It was Queen Yellow." Said Garnet.

"She has a penchant for electrocuting prisoners and rebels. Look at the marks on his neck."

Amethyst tilted Steven with caution, his head lapsing to the other side to see the lightning shaped stripes that reached up near his chin.

"I hate to say it Pearl but Peri's right once again...let's get him home and patched up...and maybe I'll cook him some soup when we get back. Should get him back right up."

On tense agreements, they ended up just going that, as Pearl took to Steven's other side, putting his right hand over her shoulders, muttering words of encouragement into his ear as they walked out of the rubble of the Yellow Compound and out through the broken yellow gates that were now free for them to exit, the Compound itself now a smoking hot mess of tower-tall fires and debris; alongside the scattered forces that lay about to waste away from the results of the devastating battles that happened within. No one looked back, with no plans to be back here any time soon.

Which prevented them from noticing the first snowflake that fell onto a human corpse behind them, the chill in the air on the rise.


	40. Herald

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot talks to Steven about something important before they conduct the Diamond Ritual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah prepare for feels.

As expected...they returned Steven home and in the safety of Steven's bed in the temple, Priyanka worked her Witch Doctor magic to help him recover. Connie stood by on one side of the bed, while her mother concocted healing potions to help mend his wounds. Connie was beside herself as the Gems brought Steven through those doors; seeing his body limp, his eyes in a haze as he made no attempt to resist anyone's help. She attempted to run up to him and to get him to talk to her, but Pearl told her that he wasn't responding to anyone.

This was just like after the incident with White's Curse. Did it happen again? While Amethyst brought him back to his room, Garnet explained what happened at the Yellow Compound. Hearing Steven being tortured by Queen Yellow broke her heart, as she wrenched her shirt closest to it on her chest. He could have died...again...and Connie fretted, as Pearl predicted she would. Pearl suspected Peridot knew more than what she was letting on and desperately wanted to pry information from that mouth she liked to use so much. But Garnet forced her to stay put, for Steven's sake.

So she didn't trespass into Steven's sacred space; allowing for Connie to watch over him in the meantime, entrusting the young girl to make sure Steven recovered in full.

* * *

On the bed, Priyanka was busy on his left hand side while Connie sat on the right and held his hand while her mother applied her remedies on his scorched skin. Besides the cuts and grazes that had been bandaged up on his arms and legs and a bit of his left cheek, a pinkish lightning bolt shaped mark went from his gem, curving to the right that ended with a burst into a tree like formation near his heart. He wore nothing else but his yellow shorts, as Connie was busy examining him with slow paced concern while she was helping her mother in wrapping in some of the more dire wounds on his body. Steven's breathing was laboured somewhat, reeling in the singed expression as a bead of sweat rolled down his face. Priyanka's potions were never instantaneous, but eventually she poured a vial of green liquid down his throat, as Connie lifted his chin to help him swallow it, then gently rubbed his neck to allow the liquid to smoothly go down his throat. The intense inhales ceased slowly, as Steven began to relax. He looked at Connie and smiled, such a grin that would still save her and the world at large.

She continued to rub ointments onto Steven which were designed to restore moisture into his skin to allow it to heal and grant a bit of relief. In overall comments towards his condition, Priyanka was impressed by his endurance, talking about how lesser humans would have died with the amount of electricity that would have flowed through Steven on the basis that Queen Yellow had inflicted, but she also mentioned the uniform that she had him wear lessened the impact somewhat, perhaps enough to cause the pain last longer without outright killing him. His Gem still glistened; perhaps the only healthiest thing that was showing on his body right at this moment. The amount of mystery of Steven's existence continued to flummox Priyanka to do this day and her drive to understand his own creation was something Steven himself had trouble grasping, though the frown that formed on his face as Priyanka mentioned, told Connie he was kind of depressed over the topic and did not want her to go further with the discussion than necessary.

Connie had this image in her head of all the other people that this had happened to; strapped in similar machines that were designed to ring out information. Anything. Connie hadn't looked at the reports, only that Peridot did say that Queen Yellow was trying to get their location. She seemed eager to track them down but found it odd when Peridot happened to talk about how Yellow gave up way too easily.

It would no longer matter. Once Steven was up and able, he would conduct the ritual with Pearl to destroy Queen Yellow and they would be given time to relax before heading out to the next mission.

Not long after, Priyanka had left Steven to Connie, only telling her to use the ointment every few hours and eventually that all that would really remain were faded scar. In the privacy the silence of the room granted them, Connie's mind began to filter in panic in what she could say.

She hadn't told him what was going on with her, her decision to tell him on the fence even several months on. He hadn't noticed or he did but never commented on the fact that she had gotten a little bigger around the gut. She knew now wasn't appropriate to discuss but it didn't stop Connie almost tripping with anxiety to spill it all out. So she let her hands do the talking as she gently stroked his cheek with the back of her index and middle fingers, with Steven himself in a drugged up state due to the medicine her mother granted him. A fraction of peace and contentment; an illusion to help ignore the overall aches and burning sensations. He swallowed, his big eyes on her and his smile consistent as she became lost in the twisted void of her own thoughts.

On the flipside, Steven couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened at the Third Compound. So many mixed feelings and experiences that brought back horrible memories of the Pink Compound Riots. He's lost those battles before and Connie had already seen on the hotter edges of delirium; the visions of those that were real no more, became reality and now he's had to go through that again. The bodies. So many dead bodies. Steven considered himself lucky, but it never stopped the fact that he felt useless in not being to help everyone else. Connie reached over as a tear fell from his face; that which he had not been aware that he was even crying.

Seeing her there brought him hope and the adoration when it came to just looking at Connie and having her touch him in a way that only she could provide enough for him to work with; to fight for. A light endeavours the harshest of weathers in this day and age and as long as that light existed, Steven would press on.

He felt on the floaty side; his mind trapped in a bubble as the fists of his anger, his sorrow and his pain kept knocking on the sides; muffled through the barriers provided. The warm feelings he kept close and he imagined this as the same feeling as resting on clouds. The softness, the tenderness and yet...

The hardest facts were nailed down into his head. His own creation was simply a means to an end...he couldn't leave Connie behind. He didn't want to die. If there was anyway to get rid of this...this curse or this hex or what ever it really was...then he would live on, protect Connie and everyone else.

He kissed the back of her hand, causing her to blush. Her beauty, her glow, her black gown....simply divine. This was what a real Goddess looked like. Only Steven would build statues in her honour, to demonstrate her kindness, her heart and her ferocious spirit in combat. A pity she'd no longer had the energy or desire to go out into the battlefield with him. He wanted to know how she was feeling.

Instead, Connie laid next to Steven and continued to hold hands in the serenity of their hearts.

* * *

It took a few days for Steven to recuperate. The curse itself, whether or not it existed was irrelevant. It disappeared thanks to knowledge gained from the Blue Compound. Word from Amethyst mentioned how there was a bit of civil war going on in the Third Compound and it became harder and harder for ordinary Gems to maintain their rules on the Compoundees that they outright forgot about what was going at the Blue Compound. More word was that a Holly Blue Agate had attempted to maintain order over there though she didn't have much luck. As far as the Pink Compound status; business as usual, though Steven did ask about his father; with Amethyst mentioned she hadn't had word of anything about his general description from a lot of the Gems she's talked to.He'd spoken to Peridot and Pearl about the ritual to destroy Yellow's Gem now that he was up and about. They'd left the safety of the confines of the Temple; with Pearl wanting space to conduct it, so they went outside. The overcast day was still with no wind; a rarity predicted by Garnet. Though the atmosphere still had a slight chill to it, holding faint colours of yellow, brown, white and grey. Pearl prepared the Summoning Circle; as there was a slab of blue tiles deep beneath the sands a few hundred meters away from the temples itself. Rose had used this according to Pearl herself, for many simple, experimental rituals conducted with different magics.

Steven sat with Peridot nearby, waiting for Pearl to finish (as well as clearing off a lot of the sand that had been covering up the slab) and talked about their current roles in this dire part of life.

"You're really okay with this?" Steven said.

Peridot nodded.

"I am." She replied. She wasn't smiling...her face stoic with the steadfast neutrality. Her eyes were locked on to Pearl, to where they became narrow out of suspicion.

"This was my purpose. I will need not exist after this is all over."

Steven frowned. He liked Peridot; having spent some amount of time getting to understand more of the Cultures within the Tempestan Tellers and the magic behind their technology. She even knew a little bit about Miserian Magic and a touch about Gaian Magic. She seemed to like it as well; learning more about humans from him as well as Connie, Priyanka and Doug too. The sharing of knowledge and the way that it was a natural friendship born out of respect and a mutual goal had given Steven more hope than ever. He didn't want her to go.

"But you've done so much for us." He said.

"There has to be a way for you to continue to live."

Peridot sighed.

"The easier you accept that at some point you will no longer have purpose, the easier it will be when you know that it will all come to an end." Peridot explained.

If only it was. She sounded so...resolute about it too.

"This world was built on lies and rules create to enforce the will of the Diamond Queens. I helped create...this disaster. I should be grateful you're not angry with me for what sins I committed."

All Steven was thankful for, was that she wanted to fix the problems that besieged them. Maybe he should have been angry with her. Maybe he could have put his giant fingers around her neck out of her desire to be punished and for him to release his own pent up anguish. Logic could dictate that, as it had for Pearl. Steven wasn't silly to not see how much Pearl really didn't like Peridot. All the badmouthing he tolerated for some point and in fact made him more annoyed at Pearl than he was for Peridot at certain points. Peridot reiterated a lot of what Pearl did comment on. The way she served the Tellers of Tempastas, those who preferred and relished in the suffering of others to prove their strength and merit. Peridot earned her position as an Architect Mage so Steven could see she worked hard to get where she was.

His father would always say that working hard was all you really could do. Wouldn't get you much at the best of times but it meant that the Quartz Warriors wouldn't be kicking your butt as often. Didn't seem fair, but nothing in this dry life never was.

Peridot was just as a victim to her own making as anyone else dragged into this mess had endured. It didn't mean what she did was right. Steven wasn't going to push her in that direction of innocence. No. He was beyond being pissed off with the past and strove to create a better future. Peridot didn't have to remember how she did it or how it occurred. The overall understanding and knowing that she was one individual, the catalyst of everything before them was enough guilt for her to burden and her making up for what had been done was something could appreciate...the humility it would take to be able to own up was something Steven envied doing, because by Gaia, guilt was like a brother to him too.

"You're thinking a lot about your purpose Steven." She said.

"The magic used to create you must have been so advanced. I wonder if it was a mixture of Gaian Magic and Psychic Magic."

Psychic Magic?

"Queen White's Power is described to be...the most powerful of all the Queens." Peridot continued.

"Gem Creation has deep roots within Psychic Magic, but does hold parts to using Gaian, Miserian and Tempastan spell procedures. I would think, to create you, would have had a similar process. Maybe you're an advanced Spirit Seal Relic. Or maybe you're somethin' else, entirely."

Something else...if only. He was unique; the fusion of Human and Gem of a power unseen. The thought was a shroud of fog, darker than the clouds above. A premise stuck into his head so hard that it would linger and rot, as Queen Yellow would describe to those in death.

"You need to head off to kill Queen Pink after this. Your formation is entwined with the fates of the Queens. For Rose Quartz had designed you as such. But do not feel bad about it."

It was then he felt something in his hand. Peridot had his hand in hers, before it slipped off to reveal a silvery, rectangular device. He had seen something of the sort of a similar design.

"Take this Tape Recorder." She said.

"For when ever you find yourself unable to talk to others, you can talk into it. Listen to your own words carefully and revise where necessary...because one day...you'll find yourself on the other end of the Beach...with the rest of those you've helped save. This is what you'll have to leave behind...by that point, you may no longer need it. So choose your final words with caution."

Steven looked at it for the longest time. A gift? He was not worthy of such. 

"But do me one last favour." She asked.

Anything.

"Listen to it in private in your own time. You might find some...._other_ words of wisdom I've left behind for you."

Steven blinked, but otherwise, understood. He wanted to...but other parts just keeping stabbing him into his chest. With what way could he even began to process that this particular fate was for him. He wasn't ready to die...but...he couldn't shake off that nagging sensation that told him that yes, perhaps Peridot might have been right. Though with anything, that anchor of hope held down the tiniest sliver of an idea that told him that there was a way to avoid such a fate. He wasn't prepared to go in that direction unless all other options were exhausted. The fate of the world was in his hands too. So what would it be. A mere, speckle in this existence of millions of others, removing the damnation of the dryness eternal and bringing the light of tomorrow, for people to witness the sun and the rain for real.

Hope was dangerous...

His hands made fists, wanting to say something that held a form of gratitude...his emotional outlook ended up boiling over head as he put the recorder next to him and instantly wrapped his arms around Peridot, hugging her tightly. Peridot wasn't sure want to think at first, feeling the pain around her eyes then feeling her own cheek. Tears. Peridot was crying as well.

"_Why._..why would you care about me? After all I did?" She said, choking up. How Steven inducted such powerful magic into her with this gesture alone was staggering. Potent in the way it inflicted strange properties in her chest. Warm properties.

"I care because..." Steven croaked.

"You're my friend."

Friendship during these troubled times was hard to come by. The humans in the Pink Compound more so, that Steven's personality was magnetic, attracting a group of people that were closely knit and could share stories with. Friendships that would transcended everything. From being chased by Quartz Warriors for causing pranks and what not. There were those good times Steven did not wish to take for granted. For Peridot, she was also within that bracket...as he learned from her and she learned from him...and she became well acquainted with Connie, the Maheswarans and got to know Garnet and Amethyst a little better too. 

"What's...a friend?" She wondered in confused awe.

That saddened Steven even more, but he smiled through his own tears.

"You know...someone you like...someone you want to hang out with. Laugh with...talk about stuff with...." He explained.

Peridot furrowed her brows.

"We did all that stuff...and you _liked_ it?" She said with a squeak.

Steven nodded, by this point, he was shaking....

"But you do that with Connie, with the others...you don't need me."

No....they did....

"You deserve to exist Peridot." Steven called out.

"And we need each other."

Such a concept was never made properly made apparent to her. Accepting death on the account that no one cared was a horrible idea and that painful tightness in his throat came back with a vengeance.

"I....don't know what to say." She said with shock.

"But...I appreciate that...you liked me...I know you're trying to make me feel better but..."

She pushed him off of her and could see the absolute turmoil written in his face...which only served to make her feel more guilty for making him feel bad. Steven would get over it, in due course. He could move to the next set of steps required. As Peridot understood Spirit Seal Relics as they are...unfortunate souls empowered tethered threads and once cut, no longer hold value. If Peridot could rewrite the spell so that she could live for Steven only, then that would be okay. But she knew the rules of magic wouldn't work like that. Then again, no one had even tried as far she was made aware. Previously she would have been content with the clear cut prices to pay for certain spells to work. Logical spells that have defined rituals and potions and ingredients. All her years spent as an Architect Mage told her everything she needed, everything that was required and everything that went into the formation of Gem species. Humans held their own messy was as Priyanka told her...but Steven's very, convoluted existence proved to Peridot that there was a chance of some impossibilities being made possible. Perhaps, something of the sort not even the Gods would have foreseen.

For now she wanted to rest. She rested her hands on his shoulders, his face puffed up from his tears.

"I'll see you on the Beach some day. That's if you don't go down the Dark Corridor."

Would he have a choice?

"Swear to me you'll restore this world. Please...."

Steven wiped his tear away with the back of his hand. He's been doing this for most of his life. She was right. He couldn't stop now. He just...didn't...

"Okay. I will." He said with a nod.  
Peridot grinned.

"There's a good Relic." She said.

"And thank you for being...my...uh...friend..."

* * *

Pearl finished up the circles shortly after. Similar to the ritual with Queen Blue, everything was structured the same way the pink-red coloured chalk circle outlines. The three circles out the outer rims forming a triangle and the empty circle in the middle, with Pearl putting in Yellow's Gem in the third outer rim. Steven and Peridot continued to look at each other with similar smiles. Pearl stood outside the Summoning Circle and repeated the motions and incantations with the Gem Glyph Language. Steven anticipated much, knowing the process a tiny bit more now and was glad Pearl was able to continue to do her work without much hassle. After all, this what she had helped his mother with, right?

As before, Steven rose up as everything started to glow in yellow tints, with new breezes playing with his hair. The Speckled Realm returned as well, flickers of dust and starlight of ancient skies. Peridot and Queen Yellow's Gem spiralled around him, with the focus on the former never leaving Steven's gaze and vice versa. Queen Yellow's spirit rose from her gem in the up draft to meet with Peridot's Cube who held it in front of her and closed her eyes. The spectral formation filtered through the Cube which caused a cut off gasp from Peridot, seemingly the pain of the sheer power flowing through her too much to bare. Steven wanted to reach out, to give some semblance of comfort in her final moments. Peridot's form, alongside the cube began to crack, with yellow lights seeping out of them in a weird aurora like display.

She still smiled though, throughout the strain.

It was then, to a display that nearly destroyed Steven himself, that Peridot burst into a million tiny shining pieces that curled up into a beam of sorts, before regrouping and swimming around Steven briefly, before ramming the powerful aura into his Gem at full speed, forcing him backwards with surprise.

He'd fallen over, returning to reality as he landed on his hands, coughing as the air was no longer clean like it was. Pearl stood there with a frown as she wandered over to make sure he was okay, putting a hand on his arm for his comfort. She helped him up to his feet, her face riddled with worry. So much flowed within him now and Peridot was right...he had to kill off Queen Pink next. He had to do this with a clean conscience and with the knowledge of how to use the Rage of Gaia effectively. Though at the moment, he looked at the Tape that Peridot had given him. She wanted him to listen to something. Putting the recorder into his pocket, Steven looked at the saddened Gem and knowing that the sacrifice was necessary, it didn't serve to make anyone feel better, even for people who didn't like her that much.

"The Gods would be proud of her." She said.

Something that annoyed Steven more than anything. But Pearl tried, more often than she didn't. Steven appreciated the effort nevertheless. He was of the sort to forgive others, like Peridot, if they aimed to resolve and right their wrongs. He'd be willing to forgive even Captain Jasper, if she would apologise for her actions and begin the path for alleviating her transgressions. The weight was still on him to succeed and amend the guilts of others. It wasn't his job to do so, but he had the power to do so.

As long as he had that power, the ability to change the minds of others, then it would make the world a better place beyond its own restoration. The Faded World held no more fragments to spare kindness it seemed, but people over all, would have the potential if they just tried.

He said nothing to Pearl as they made the trek back to the temple.

* * *

Steven ended up finding a spot in the bathroom on his own and stood in the shower and let the hot steam run down his body. It'd been a while since he'd had a shower with Connie but he never questioned it. It wasn't his place to. He preferred to be alone in this moment as he placed his hands on the white tiles of the shower as leaned against, the feeling of the meltingly boiling waters on his head a massage and a punishment on its own. Steven never understood his need to be punished; the deaths of those who's already created would always find their niche in his brain to nag and annoy him with. Good feelings as some times he had were, there was a special location in his mind that was more a chamber of imprisoned regrets that were let out briefly, only to be chained back in his head but would continue to scream at him with they felt like it.

Ignoring such thoughts was easier when he was with people he cared about...their presence that positive glow in his heart. Connie, for example, his biggest beacon. How would she cope if he disappeared, however...he wanted to be there for her, when ever she needed him and he needed her but...what caused him such anguish was that he couldn't tell her that he was going to die. Peridot's words lingered...accepting the fact that his death might be necessary in the long run would be easier...but it would be selfish of him to leave them behind...

It would continue torment him for a while; projecting a facade to the others became easier as they did but even Steven had his bad days where that shield just couldn't be put up. Everyone else noticed, but no one bothered to do anything else once the shield was back in front. No one except, Connie at least.

And for her, studying to be a Witch Doctor like her mother these days became important to her. To be a healer that she was going to be important figure to humanity when this was all over...that she wouldn't even need Steven anymore. Steven didn't like that at all...still wanting to be near her, to touch her, to kiss her, to love her...

Why was this so hard?

After the shower he decided to sit in the Garden. He'd noticed purple flowers growing in the mild section; purple hyacinths. A load of them. He wasn't sure of the meaning, but they did give off a certain, depressing energy as Steven slid down the wall and just stared at them. Minutes? Hours...Steven wasn't aware than he'd begun to dissociate about it. He shook his head and pulled out the tape recorder. It took him a while to figure out how to play it, but once he did, he could hear a bass-reduced voice of Peridots:

"_Steven._" It said.

"_If you're listening to this, it means I've done my duty, but you have yet to finish yours_."

He swallowed. He wasn't ready, but he had to be.

"_I've done my research about the Gaian Knights and the Crystal Priestesses. I have read as much as I have watched and listened. I know you're worried about being a Spirit Seal Relic..but that is the least of your problems_."

She found out something...but what?

"_Your ancestors fought for their freedoms and died only to be imprisoned in the Compounds. The lump of clods they are, Humans have every right to live on this planet as much as Gems do. The Knights of Gaia have been one of the only real resisting forces left in existence. Gems, humans...that Witch Doctor informed me of certain histories. I want to make you aware, that you need to keep an eye on one of the Priestesses. Namely, Pearl._"

What?

"_As an Architect Mage I know a lot about Gems and their functions, as well as how they're developed and I helped develop the technologies for Spirit Seal Relics. I might implore you, to be very cautious around her. I know her and I didn't get along and that's fine....I just...don't trust Pearls. I don't care if you do not believe me. Only that you must have a deeper look into the Rage of Gaia and never let it fall into her hands. But I trust you Steven. I trust you to make this right. I just wanted to let you know that I know, ya know_?"

Rage of Gaia? The Sword? Connie normally kept that under lock and key nowadays after she'd stopped using it. Pearl stopped using it as well, or at least, ceased researching it.

"You've got this. It's literally your destiny...Peridot, signing off."

Steven embraced the recorder as he curled his knees in. No. He didn't need this. There was no need for distrust in the Gems, especially Pearl. He had come to trust Peridot like one of them but without Peridot's help he was completely lost. It was too much for him to take that he wasn't even crying. He was just tired, exhausted. Frustrated. Ceaseless deaths and so much destruction already that the last thing he needed was to worry about one of their own perhaps...if what Peridot was insinuating, was going to _betray_ them. No. That couldn't be. Pearl might be brash at times and overzealous but she was a good person. Peridot had to be wrong, surely. Sowing the seeds of doubt to grow out of control...he didn't need this...

He_ wanted_....

He heard the door open...with Connie there in her black gown, standing there with the look of concern in her face. She walked over and sat next to Steven, who had been hard pressed to withhold anything. He looked up as Connie tenderly touched him. He trusted her...and trusted her implicitly as he formed a smile just for her. But Connie could see past that facade. She sat down next to him, seeing that he was upset and had been made aware that Peridot's sacrifice would have hit him quite hard. He spoke fondly of her and included her in most of the conversations during dinner as he could. She allowed his head to rest on her shoulder, and gave a Steven a light peck on his head. He allowed her to give her this comfort where no one else really could. The pair of them kept looking at the purple hyacinths growing in the garden.

And both were left wondering if they would herald further change.


	41. The Code that Writes Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven learns about a special type of magic from Pearl.

It'd been a month since the attack on Third Compound. Steven had been very anxious to return to his old domain, not even going back until he was absolutely certain that he was ready. Honestly, he didn't want to. Too many ghosts left burning, or they had been burnt to ashes and mixed up with the dust particles in the wind. It'd been years since he'd been there and the thought of stepping through those gates wasn't going to be exactly the same as the last two attempts.

The Quartz Warriors knew his face. The humans knew his face. It'd been a debate for himself to let himself go and outright demolish those weakling Gems in there, discarded and forgotten about by the upper echelons. But Steven wasn't like that. He knew their faces too.

Each of them. Different sizes, shapes and colours. Colours that were his enemy. History that would call upon his action to take them down regardless, no longer bending himself to their requirements. Chatter on the populous (or what was left of it) said that the other Compounds were still at it but Gems from White's Compound, few in number, had invaded the territories to take care of the problems there. For the situation to grow this dire, that it warranted Gems from the First of the first, those whom had barely been seen or even to utter single word from that place alone meant the situation had gotten serious.

The Pink Compound, the Fourth, did indeed have it's security tightened. Gems that had been protecting the other Compounds; whom had failed to protect the Queens they had been made to serve were punished by upping the defences of the last two Queens. Garnet did predict that this was going to be much harder from now one, since the Gemvine had been aware of the attempts to assassinate the Queens. More whispers, conversations about how it was a mere human and while Steven's name was never brought up, some were made the connections to the boy who had Gem powers. 

He could write stories, fiction, non-fiction and no one could guess which was which. Pearl had made the suggestion once; to forge the lore of the one previously known as Seven One Nine; the Priest of Courage and Harmony; legacy of Rose Quartz; The Diamondslayer etc. the many titles that had been bestowed upon him over the years. Steven didn't like most of them. He preferred to be just be called Steven.

Right at that moment, was meant to research one thing and one thing only; the Rage of Gaia. He'd brought it out and sat on the couch by the coffee table in his room and left it on the rack as he examined closely. It held no ceremonial hum or resonance of the spirit that was meant to be encased within. A Peridot...a Lapis Lazuli...their souls saved but... what kind of poor suffering Gem had it's fate literally written in the artefact?

Pearl had once explained that his mother had stolen the blade itself from Queen Pink; and when Steven had found it, Pearl had assumed during the interim where Rose had just vanished for months and years on end, she had it sealed away in the Temple it once rested. She must have known that it would serve a purpose and that one day, that her fabled Hybrid Child would be lead to it. How much did his mother plan out for him was what Steven really wanted to know and now that he knew his purpose, it was clear and in a way, he wish he could forget it. Although his own sacrifice was much more important than potential ignorance that only served to make matters worse than they already are. People would be able to embrace how the world was once; filled with colours that weren't their enemy.

Now, they had to fight against old friends and enemies...to step back into that fold he once called home. He was absolutely miserable about it all and Connie, bless her heart, tried to make him feel better but it was just...the anxiety as it built deep within his chest, wanting to get it over and done with; wanting to get the chance to give Queen Pink a new one. It was what she deserved.

Steven wasn't one for pure hatred; his father taught him that hate was a bad thing. That only you could feel sad for their state of affairs...pity them, give them all the things that they didn't want ordinary people to feel get under their skin instead of his own. Seemed like a good idea that Steven tried so hard to stick with, but given the conditions of Compound Four in comparison to Compounds Two and Three, he wanted to also understand why she barely lifted a finger to aid her supposed people, instead of hiding away like an apathetic coward.

Pearl suggested laziness and that Pink's motives were the same as the other Diamonds. She had a pinch full of power compared to them and that she would be no match for Steven; with or without the Rage of Gaia to back him up. He could have done this a long time ago but...if he had known...he would have destroyed her sooner.

So it was Pearl who organised this particular trip to Compound Four...and one of the reasons Steven had yet to make the venture was because Peridot's message kept coming back to him; she wanted him to find out what a Pearl really did. As far as Steven was made aware, Maiden Pearls were simply servants...nothing more. So why would Peridot be concerned about a servant?

He'd invited her into his room, an opportunity never to be missed by the eager Priestess, to where Steven told her to sit on the couch with him and talk. It was either going to be very awkward or very informative...either way, he had to know the truth. He didn't want to go the roundabout way either; he just wanted to know if he could still trust her. She was surprised by his line of questioning, however.....

"So...Pearl...you served under Mom." He said, sitting on the couch next to her as he leaned forward and shuffled his hands together.

"You must have known Queen Pink yourself."

Pearl froze briefly and maintained a steady silence, blinking twice in a seven second period before she could answer.

"Maidens who follow their liege will see others of a higher status on occasion...."

It wasn't what he was after, however...

"We swear oaths to our lieges; codes we _must_ enact. I had sworn such a code to your mother a long time ago. But then she said I would never have to do that again under her guidance. That I would write my own rules and fight by her side."

They barely spoke, if Steven recalled correctly. He'd never really seen one all that often. At Arena matches but there was no fancier Gem in Compound Four that warranted a Maiden to even be there. He'd seen more in other Compounds from his last visits combined than seeing Pearls there. So he knew so little about them and their general practices.

"And with me?" Steven questioned.

Pearl paused again, before she bowed her head to him.

"You are her son, her gifts bestowed to you." She said.

"I would call you our Head Priest, if Garnet would agree to let you be so."

Steven had no intention of leading, only that he was only doing what was designed to do; nothing more. But there was so much underneath the overlay, so much he had to figure out before his job was done.

"So who did you serve before you served mom?" Steven asked. She never went into the depths of her history with him, only really fawning over his mother and her ferociousness in combat. It was then her focus went to the Rage of Gaia on the table.

"I served a Gem Noble. They once belonged to Queen White before they were demoted to Compound Four."

Demoted? 

"There was a time in history where some Gems were reallocated Compounds. White would dismiss Gems she no longer wanted to serve her and others would take that meaning as Queen White having found a better purpose for them elsewhere. So I was allocated to this Gem while there was still a decent Court that had been dealing with the formalities Queen Pink once had."

This has been the most he'd heard about Queen White ever since he'd arrived at the Temple of Obsidian. It had him wondering why Pearl never happened to mention this before. 

"This is a boring fact Steven. This is normal practice for White. It will not help us. For I serve you. And only you."

He was a bit freaked out by the way she worded it and the while the shining stars in her eyes told her that she was happy for him to be there, some of what Peridot said had made her mark known. Pearl was indifferent to the ways Gems of the Compound had acted. She tried to appear normal herself, but she was anything but.

"I'm...I'm not...look, I'm just trying to understand my fellow Priestesses." Steven said. Was Pearl aware of what he was trying to do? She was the most confusing of the three to figure out. Garnet herself admitted in one of their conversations that her silence is simply to reserve her words for the right circumstances and telling herself to choose such words carefully at the right time. Amethyst was Amethyst. She worked hard and had done most of the physical work and he could rely on her more so out of the three, but Garnet was alright to allow Steven to talk about certain important matters. As for Pearl?

She was...either angry, displeased, dissatisfied with Steven in the past, if it had not been for Peridot to open his eyes, he would not have noticed Pearls affections increased further than he realised, but...he was just generally wondering if she had made the effort to change to ensure their work was to be completed with the least amount of conflict, but she had not been conversing with Garnet would have been the go to in terms of reprimanding her sister priestesses for treating Steven as Rose (facts Garnet had admitted in a rare display of honesty).  
  


To Steven, that wasn't the biggest issue, right now, he just had to know where Pearl sat with them on the scales of loyalty.

"We appreciate that Steven." She said.

"However, I can teach you something that isn't boring and in fact will help us."

He raised an eyebrow, getting some interest as he crossed his arms.

"Yes?"

It was then Pearl summoned a book from a gem and placed it before her.

"White's Power. At least, a part of it. Something that is extremely difficult to pull off due to how intricate and delicate it can be. The rare magic woven by her...and pulled off by very few."

This...scared Steven. The hairs on his skin rose on those words alone. Pearl then pulled out a feather from her Gem as well and began to inscribe some illegible text into the book itself. Steven squinted at the unique hieroglyphics as she wrote them; to him it looked like a series of lines, dots, squares and triangles. The temperature of the room changed slightly, with a chill in the air indicated the potential true source of his goosebumps.

Steven wasn't sure he wanted to be there, preparing to move out of there but suddenly the room had turned dark. The water had stopped and everything around him turned black; leaving Pearl and Steven the only ones in the room.

"The Code that Writes Reality." Pearl told him.

"Your mother knew some of the code really well."

Steven blinked...the abyss that he was in...he figured the rooms were made of some kind of magic but _this_?

"Mom created the magic of the rooms?" Steven questioned.

Pearl nodded.

"Indeed. But it could do so much _more_. All I did, was ask the magic of the room to be disabled for about thirty seconds. It should come back any moment now."

They waited, until the room itself returned back its bright, washy wet self. Steven swallowed, perplexed.

Pearl explained that the Code itself was only known to a fair few besides White and that somehow his mother had either learned about it or stolen it from Queen White. He understood his mother stretching herself out in terms of understanding magic but she was an outright maverick; stealing weapons magic from all walks of Gem life and then some. The process requires a particular book made from special materials and knowledge of the Code in question. So few humans and even Gems could even comprehend it.

Steven did ask if his mother tried a way to reverse the damage done to the planet. Pearl had frowned, mentioning that yes, she did, but not all spells written were as simple as 'disabling' magics already in place. Giant changes such as reversing the Sin would take huge amounts of magical energy to use and the Code to even write it would be extremely lengthy. 

"Was it the same magic that...well, acted the whims of the sin itself?" Steven wondered. He'd shifted himself aside, trying to keep his distance without outright offending her.

"I'm not...certain, but I would not be surprised if it was." Pearl noted.

"Your mother was convinced that it was a magic used by all four Diamond Queens and we know that these Precursor Relics were a part of the rituals. The Code is theorised to be the last remaining piece to the puzzle. But to disable the magic would be no easy feat."

So destroying the Diamond Queens...was that part of the Code?

"Mom knew she had to kill the Queens to reverse the spell." Steven said.

"She must have known the Code..and that includes..."

Pearl lowered her head, her frown very telling, before she put her hand on Steven's and looked right in the eye and her other hand on Steven's chest.

"I have had this on my head from when I first saw you Steven. A true miracle of the Code's potential. Not that I know the Code she used myself, but I had no doubt in my mind that she definitely wrote it."

Spirit Seal Relic, now some kind of extremely powerful magical spell woven from human and Gem material. Like he didn't need to think of another reason that he wasn't just a weapon after all. Peridot did say he was advanced for such a thing to be made. He looked at how tiny Pearls hand was on his. Her writing the Code, her shaping the Summoning Circles. His mother must have taught Pearl a great deal, passing on the knowledge to her Priestess for Steven to take advantage of. Psychic Magic, Tempestan Magic, Miserian Magic, Gaian Magic...all four of them...meant...something to do with the Sin.

An Advanced Spirit Seal Relic or something else entirely. A weapon, a living artefact serving the purpose to reverse the Sin. This planets resurrection depending on Steven and for a long while he's always felt that burden on his shoulders to bare and to bare alone. It's all he was.

He was going to do it...but this didn't help figure out the Rage of Gaia...until Pearl opened her mouth again.

"We know that defeating Queen Pink should help unlock the Light of Psyche." She said.

"It must be part of White's written Code that the other Queens must be defeated to access it."

It would be to White's advantage after all. Sealing the Relic in a safe place that required the death of the other Diamonds to reach it. Steven could smell the smug arrogance of White from where he stood; where her power could reach him on all corners of the planet, but not physically at least. So he still had some advantage. Even if what had been said wasn't true, Steven was the avatar of vengeance for the billion burning souls whisked away in the sands and dusts of the planet, all waiting for their saviour to release them and grant them peace.

He wasn't going to deny them that.

"So, you're going to teach me a spell to defeat Queen Pink then?" He asked.

Pearl grinned.

"Well, I've been told Queen Pink is quite the chatterbox so the first thing you want to do is to make her shut up." She said.

"Once you've gotten her silent, the next thing you want to do is actually use the Sword to poof her. It's not that complex, but her mouth is honestly the biggest threat out there...and you'd only fail if you were honestly careless."

Steven furrowed his brows. This wasn't the Queen he knew that constantly locked herself away in her Tower. Far from it. But then again, no one ever saw what she did behind closed doors. Was she honestly the weakest of the four? People had so many questions and their own unique theories about her and it had been generations since anyone had actually seen her up close, with people making up stories about her that either were or weren't true. It would matter very little in the end...she would end up like the other Queens all the same.

And Steven had already had quite the reputation at the Pink Compound and his skills had definitely grown since he'd arrived at the Temple of Obsidian and the years spent going from Micro-Temple to Micro-Temple. This was a long time coming. So Pearl would teach him how to write the spell, granting him her unique magical quill in the process that never ran out of ink. He was so...entranced by this process that his prior suspicions about Pearl were merely fleeting at best by this point. But it never came across to him as to whether this was the true Pink that she was talking about. He was being granted so much within a short time frame and learning about the different magics was super important to their mission at hand so gathering resources and abilities had been their secondary priority, to give the edge they truly needed to do this and he had much to thank Pearl for.

Once he had the spell down pat, Steven prepared himself to go the Pink Compound, rounding up his gear. He wasn't fond of the process necessarily, but the smile on his face was the one of a man finally getting to do what he had always wanted; to march up to the monster that ruled their lives for so long and be able to make change this time around without fear of punishment; because of Jasper was there, she would have to either fight him again and risk being crushed as Steven held little room for mercy for if she even tried or she would respect their earlier fight and that he had the capacity for such mercy back then. Right now, this was more personal than the other Compounds. This was his original turf...he knew the Quartz Warriors...he knew the humans there.

The power of his own lust for vengeance right now overtook all reason and previous compassion Steven had been holding so many months ago. Pearl had encouraged him to let loose as did Amethyst; Garnet urged little more than caution as her vision become clouded; a sign of a decision Steven would have to make that he would have trouble understanding. Though he'd proven her predictions wrong in the past...and even the Garden itself showed black roses; a symbol of death...and Steven grew confident, cocky and smug himself on the knowledge of an obvious outcome.

* * *

Connie laid on the bed, the look of concern written on her face as Steven packed his bag. She said nothing, but stared at him as he did so. His look, his stature were telling of something dark on the horizon. The fact he still didn't notice how large her belly gave her the bad idea of him not even looking at her properly anymore and the very thought saddened her completely. Once his bag was packed, however, he walked over and gave her a deep kiss. She'd been busy psyching herself up to tell him about...well, her expecting his child. She then noticed that he had the Rage of Gaia taken out of the box. Connie swallowed; she was guilty of not being able to help him out on the field but he wasn't too fussed over it. In a way, Connie wished he was. She missed being by his side on the battlefield.

She missed his attention and his praise. The reality had to be there that maybe he didn't love her as much as he used to and he'd gotten bored of her; paying more attention to Pearl than anything else. She wanted to question Pearl as to what Steven was like nowadays, since he'd spent more time out in the field with Pearl ever since Peridot passed on than he had spent with Connie...and so Connie spent what time she could learning from her mother to improve her worth and being her Witch Doctor apprentice. In the meanwhile as Steven had gone back and forth, she noticed the tape recorder that he had sitting in the bed side table. She'd first noticed in his possession some time ago; calling it a gift from Peridot and he once treasured it, but these days he'd forgotten it. 

Connie took a moment and hid in the bathroom to listen to it and was shocked to hear about Peridots own opinions on Pearl and telling Steven not to let Pearl have the Rage of Gaia. Connie was left stunned by the revelation and the distrust in Pearl grew on her end...in ways she honestly should have seen coming...the only thing was, what was Pearl suspicious of? And what in the World was a Spirit Seal Relic? Things Steven never mentioned to her at all but it sounded like Peridot had either helped him to come a conclusion...or maybe it was Pearl. Who knows what the Gem was putting in his head? The same way she had put ideas into hers? It was hard to fathom.

After Steven had left with Pearl and the Rage of Gaia to walk to Compound Four, Connie had this...feeling within her of something chronic. She had gone to her mother in the back room to discuss this with her; the only one she could trust right now.

"When I was pregnant with you, I had all sorts of bad feelings. " Priyanka said.

"Mothers intuition was one of them and all that they used to say back in the Hidden Village. You think Steven's going to be in terrible danger? Again?"

Why wouldn't he? He barely came out of the Third Compound alive. She her stomach as she sat down at the table, then looked at the flames.

"I don't know...but I feel like he's hiding something from me." She said.

Priyanka rolled her eyes.

"That's....hm..." She muttered, before realising what she had intended to say wasn't going to serve to make her daughter feel better. She sat down next to her and held Connie's hands.

"Maybe you two should have a hard talk about this. When he gets back, make sure you sit him down and both of you have a hard talk about it all."

Something Connie had been wanting to do for months, but Steven had always been so busy that Connie did not wish to bother him.

"But Mom, he's so close to fixing this!" Connie told her.

"I don't want to ruin anything!"

Priyanka sighed, rubbing her daughters cheek.

"Neither do I. I don't care that Steven is half a Quartz Warrior...hell, I don't care if he's Half-Diamond or a Demigod...he's what we call back in the Gaian Knights rites an Affinity Child. Those who follow nothing else but the words of our God. He leads himself and it's very rare to see a Child of Affinity. No one can punish him and no one can rule him but Gaia themselves. But in this day and age, and due to how unpopular the Children can be, those rules can be overturned by Affinity Hands; those who guide those Children and are often wives and husbands of these children that if a Child gets married, they must heed the call of their Hands. Well, that's not actually true of rules being overturned...but the Children must at least listen to their Hands and consider their request at the least."

But...Connie and Steven weren't even married! Marriage wasn't even on Connie's head either.

"The point is, that you _make_ him listen to you. You get him to talk. You can talk to him. Stand as equals...I know that's how I got your father to listen."

Her father wasn't like Steven however, but Connie could understand what she was talking about. 

"There's a lot you've already gone through together and that you want to express your doubts Connie, you have every right to do so."

Yeah...and there was a lot of those doubts riding on what had been happening lately...especially with the deaths of Queen Yellow and Queen Blue. Parts that just didn't add up even as Connie tried. And it might as well be starting off with getting Steven to tell her everything. So she was prepared and the build up to getting to have private conversation without Pearl intervening had begun. This...silence had to end.

"You're right mom...thank you." Connie said with a smile.

"I hope to be as wise as you one day."

Priyanka beamed.

"You will be daughter...the path to wisdom begins with questioning everything you gut tells you to...I mean your actual gut not the baby in there I mean."


	42. The Fourth Compound Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Pearl venture to the Pink Compound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another familiar character returns in this chapter!

The time had finally come. Steven was finally able to do this, after so many years, wandering and left with more questions than answers. He hoped this encounter with Pink would be able to release his frustrations, his anger and everything that he'd come to detest about this particular Diamond Queen. Pearl would describe her as a pushover; declaring her the easiest of the Four to defeat, though he kind of wished they had gotten to her first if that was the case. No matter; the past was the past and Steven had come so close now to fulfilling their goal.

Every step towards the Compound however, felt like effort. Effort maintained easily on the fronts that travelling the Drylands required but this was more so than the norms previously provided. A reverse situation where Steven still felt the compulsion to run away simply because of the subconscious need to still be as far away from that hellhole as much as possible. He tried to pick the benefits out of returning, but it served to remind him of what he really left behind there. It'd been a few years. Would people still recognise him? Hate him because hadn't come back for them? So much to consider and it made Steven incredibly anxious. But this had to be the last time for sure. He would free the humans he knew more than anyone. They wanted to be free. They wanted to be able to walk around the world without the fear of the Gems hammering in pain to keep them in line.

Once they'd arrived at the outskirts, Steven tasted the salt on the winds. The outlier parts were so...dilapidated. It wasn't so much different from the last time he'd seen those rusty brown and red gates. Hiding behind a dead tree, Steven and Pearl scoped out the way to enter, the former looking through a pair of binoculars. It shouldn't have been hard. Quartz Warriors he recalled that had been working the gates since Steven was born. But it wasn't that. There was that sixth sense that told Steven something was different, he just couldn't describe it. Pearl complained about how grotty this place was and wondered why Rose had chosen to live here for the amount of time she did. Pearl, didn't quite grasp the concepts that were known to her former superior, only that this was second to a garbage dump.

"Just makes it all the important that we rescue the humans here." Steven noted.

"These are my people here Pearl. They've been treated horribly for as long as I can remember. Queen Pink will die this day."

Pearl looked the ground, unsure of what to say.

"Let's go, I know a way inside."

* * *

Not to dissimilar to designs found with the Second Compound, the Fourth Compound had its own secret entry and exit points. Quartz Warriors would use them all the time to transport cargo and scraps found. There were only so few humans that were taken out of the Compound to venture into the world. Mostly the older populace and people close to death. Some of the scraps were deadly and the places they had gone to didn't guarantee the safety in the collection process. If one was chosen to go out into the fields there was always a chance that they would never come back.

In truth, the rumours were spread that if Queen Pink wanted to eliminate one particular human that she didn't like or that she found causing too much trouble, she would ask the Warriors to take them out on excavations to harvest resources. Not a good percentage would come back alive. 

The two wandered around the outer walls, dodging guards and finding one entrance in particular with one Warrior; a Carnelian, at its entrance. Pearl insisted she take care of them quickly; summoning her spear and taking them out instantly with a shot to their back. The Gem dropped to the ground as Pearl picked it up and handed it to Steven. Normal circumstances he'd bubble it instantaneously, but...he knew that Carnelian and that off feeling returned to haunt him. He shook his head, bubbling it anyway and sending it off. He could have crushed it, destroying one of many Gems that he'd encountered in the past, but trepidation over the minor, explainable feeling held him back briefly. Pearl did not comment, instead, turning towards the entrance and walking in.

It had that same aesthetic as the rest of the Compound. Wires poking out, broken lights...dust and sand that was never cleaned. No one cared; general apathy being the most common aspect within the Compound Four over all. Having been in the Second and Third ones, Pearl wondered how humans even managed to survive.

"Humans are resilient when pushed to the brink of despair." Steven commented, leading the way down the long hall.

"It wasn't the best life, but we did what could to make each other happy despite the circumstances."

Untold Generations living and dying in this life that would be so short. Life spans that if you were lucky, fell into the fifties or sixties. The elder ones were kept quiet and subjugated due to how weak they could be and were often chosen for the excavations to ring the last portions of their usages, claiming their deaths would not be in vain. 

It made Steven examine his life time of anger and resentment...his fight with Captain Jasper and the way he fell into the rage like a pool of hot water...eager to fight and pummel her into the dead earth. It wasn't just him...it was everyone. There wasn't the loneliness, there wasn't the exact specific human that didn't feel the same way against the ordeal they had been born into. These were Steven's people through and through...and the fact that their sacrifice to set him free made him feel awful about leaving them behind still gave him pause.

He found himself out of breath. Not because of the amount of dust, but the overwhelming feeling and the memories of the lands above burning to ashes around him. He rested his hand on the nearby wall and leaned against it, using his other hand as he strained to fight against himself in order to move forward. Pearl immediately walked in front of him, pressing her hands together in front of her chest in her pleads for him to talk to her.

"What's wrong Steven?" She asked so softly, sadness and concern written on her face.

He scrunched his eyes. The pain stuck into his chest, akin to being shocked by Yellow and pummelled by Jasper. Maybe worse. His heart hurt him the most. Not heartbreak, but the sheer aura of this place that sent him into overdrive...but made him immobile.

"Did you want to go home?"

No. Steven gently pushed her back as he forced himself upright. He had to think of the positives. He had to be here, had to do what had to be done, no matter the cost.

"I can't. Not yet." He replied, gaining his breath back.

"We'll do this. Mom would want me to."

Pearl smiled, and hooked her arm with his. Steven had no cause to argue against her affections by this point and the fact he had company to begin with made it easier. He considered it horrible to think he would have preferred Connie here instead of Pearl, reminded of how the former had Steven feel like he'd missed so much with just the first human contact he had in years and the relationship that they had built up over time. Loneliness with a goal in mind would have been sufficient but the goal with the reason behind it had Steven rethink that choice that he really didn't want to be alone.

But the comment Pearl made...did he want to go home? Compound Four had been his home for most of his life and the way that it was, he felt like he had never left. Hidden corridors fleeing with Kiki and other children were a common occurrence. There was a certain thrill in evading the passing Quartz Warriors. They had never been caught but the risk factor certainly made for a dangerous game that they had played way back when. Hearing laughter and giggles; Steven envisioned their younger selves in the air ducts and Kiki pulling his hand as they ran around empty halls.

More than one occasion, they would talk about how close freedom tasted. To be free on the iron shackles and to roam the outside world without a single care. Kiki would always talk about, but Steven would relent, desiring to take everyone else with them.

Laying down on dead grass and staring up at the overcast skies as the clouds rolled past, the two would talk for hours on end before curfew. Kiki had been more daring than Steven and moped about how her family deserved more than what they had. Steven was there for her when her grandma had passed, but knew that the world would recover very soon....just that she would be sad that she would never get to see it.

Before Steven and Pearl got to the surface, the latter prepared his Compound Suit but then he thought...no...he didn't need it. It wouldn't work here since everyone knew him. First thing Steven had to do, was scope out the security here. He remembered one of the watch towers being connected to the underground tunnels and took Pearl to the left hand corridor they came across. Pearl did most of the work of the guards, her skills easily taking down the hapless Quartzes with single strikes. She had told Steven that his mother had trained her on quick, stealthy kills. Quartz Warriors were tough to a fault, but Rose being a Quartz herself helped identify weak points.

The spiral staircase lead them to the top of the westernmost Watch Tower. Steven pulled out the binoculars and looked at the views of his former residence. More memories flooded back to him...the houses, still connected alongside empty, cracked streets. Patched but most of the repairs had been done since the original fires from the riots. Quartz Warriors on their regular duties as they hit the beat and the odd human here and there. Something, definitely _was_ off.

He expected more humans and Gems. The time itself wouldn't have the curfew in place so in theory it should have been more populated. But everything here seemed...normal. Business as usual. Steven had to investigate. His priority right now had him try and find his original home...and hope his Dad was still there. But the problem was; Steven could still be recognised.

"Steven may I make a suggestion?" Pearl put forth.

Any idea by this point was better than none. He leaned in as she whispered into his ear as she put it to him. His eyes widened with surprise; shocking on how this was coming from Pearl of all people. 

"You sure?" He asked.

Pearl grinned and nodded.

"I had talked to Garnet and she said it could help. But if we don't try, we'll never know."  
  


* * *

Moments later, he had the suit on and put on reading glasses to protect and obscure his lower set of eyes. He was as tall as Pearl with a little bit more bulk to him. His hair was mauve but he wouldn't be the first...partial being to look different. The suit covered up most of his body with the lettering. He summoned a faded paper boy hat to cover Pearls Gem as well.

They had infiltrated a public restroom as they got themselves organised. As far as he was concerned, Quartz Warriors and their apathy would general be their downfall. Security was lax and the technology was the least developed here so no cameras or anything would be able to hunt them down. The factor that humans were more often than not, given to the Fourth Compound in terms of their check ups to determine their worth, was beneficial. Since it would happen on a daily basis so Quartz Warriors didn't really care or note down anyone knew in particular. They were just dumped; given to the Processing Centre and that was about it. They were on their own.

No real formalities; only that the Agate Steven knew of that worked alongside the Quartz Warriors barely paid any attention to the humans she was meant to take the Processing Centres and chatted to the Aquamarines and the Zircons more than she was supposed to work. Once a human was processed, they were allocated a house, often with occupants already inside. Humans would learn from other humans about the way things worked here...and a lot of the time had to figure things out on their own. More than once they had people come from the Yellow Compound the most arrogant, but the ones from the Blue Compound mostly chill. His father would say that the Blue Compoundees were more often than not brain damaged due to the drugs they took. So he had been told by another Compoundee who had one living with them for a short period of time, before they mysteriously disappeared.

"Rainbow Quartz would suffice in normal circumstances but if I was to be anything, let's just call myself Rain from the Blue Compound." He said.

The fusion of Steven and Pearl would hold the charms of his components and the warmth it would normally provide in generic circumstances. Training with Garnet had them fuse before for a brief moment to teach Steven to better understand fusions...on Pearl insistence that he learn more about Gems and history. Goodness knows Steven had a bad perception of Gemkind overall if it had not been for the Crystal Priestesses. Still, Rainbow liked being themselves and would gladly present their purpose for a better cause.

So they roamed the streets of the Pink Compound, though the only reason they got looks from other humans wasn't because they weren't relatively known, it was more of a less the way they walked was a bit over the top.

"Tone it down." Rain said to themselves under their breath.

Instead of swinging their arms about, the stares had them walk a bit more sluggish...much to their own petty frustrations about it all. The fact they couldn't be themselves was what had Rain in a twist. 

They made their to Steven's old house; which Rain felt Steven's anxiety amplify slightly. He stood in front of the door and just stared at the handle for a good five minutes trying to psyche himself to even put his hand on the handle to open it. Eventually mustering enough strength, Rain ended up knocking on the door, just to see if Steven's Dad was home.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Rain called.

Silence.

"Hello?"'

"Oh sorry, I'm right here..."

Rain instantly turned around to see a tall, bald chubby man with short brown hair around his head and a brown-turning grey beard carrying brown paper bags. His face looked like it had multiple scars but he still smiled through it all. That much hadn't changed, even if he did look much older than what was recalled.

"D-"

No...they couldn't risk him knowing Steven was here. It would cause panic. So, they had to pretend...but Steven instantly felt that cleansing wash of relief in knowing his dad was still alive...Rain just had to restrain himself from talking about too much, no matter how much the desire to hug him told him otherwise. For now, they had a job to take care of. They could celebrate later.

"No, you're fine good fellow." He said.

"I am...BD-RQ-475. But you may call me Rain. I'm...."

His Dad smiled.

"Oh you're a new transfer? Heh...typical. I'm PD-GU-648 but I go by Greg. Pleasure to meet you Rain. Just uhhh...let me get us inside and I can give you the run down."

Greg let them inside as he put the bags on the table. Nostalgia and memories flooded from Steven's end. Worn white walls, the table with the different coloured chairs...just as Steven remembered. Rain had to be extremely cautious as to how to approach this without revealing too much. His desire to get Greg out of here was born of good intentions, but this wasn't to be done just yet. Not until Rain was certain that their job was complete.

"Sorry bout the mess." Greg continued.

"I wasn't expecting a transfer. I'm surprised it's taken them so long to get somewhere...but with all the commotion who could blame them?"

He had Rain set in the dining area, with all the memories from Steven surfacing...the worn white walls, the rectangular white table, with a blue metal chair on the left, a wooden chair on the other side with pink cushions and a yellow plastic chair to the right. He sat on the pink chair, noticing the wall filled with multiple drawings of Steven of various designs. Some designed by children, others by skilled artists going from how simple some were and how others were so intricate, with certain liberties in characteristics and colours. Admirable, if not a little strange.

Greg made him tea and apologised for the lack of quality compared to what the Blue Compound probably offered as he handed Rain a blue mug. His eyes looked into the swirling brown liquid...the fusion shouldn't have been surprised but it was the same tea that Steven had during his youth so honestly, he would enjoy it anyway. He grinned and nodded in thanks.

As expected, Greg gave rain the low down on expectations in the Compound. Do your work and you'll be fine.

"Let me guess...they didn't tell you what they were gonna have you do?" Greg queried.

Obviously not. It was common practice to let humans figure things out for themselves. Imports from other Compounds were treated the same way. But Rain had to feign ignorance.

"Oh my no...I was hoping for an explanation on the way here but no, nothing...zilch, nada." Rain told him.

Greg nodded, pursing his lips before he took a sip of his drink from his red mug.

"Typical. You'll be working with me then I imagine. I work with cleaning materials and offsetting rust. Hard work."

Still the same job he'd been working so far. So that much hadn't changed.

"If you don't mind me asking, what was the reason for your transfer? I would wager with everything that's been going on, that they would have halted transfers for a while until this whole mess gets sorted."

Rain was in the middle of sipping their drink, before they ended up comically spitting it out. They had no expected to answer that...well, not so soon, anyway.

_Come on, make up something!_ They told themselves.

Put the cup down calmly as they could, Rain put out what he could.

"I uhhh...well, you've heard what's happened to two of the Diamond Queens I presume?"

Greg nodded, before he rubbed his chin.

"Yeah. Queen Blue was assassinated...but I hadn't heard what happened to another one..."

He hadn't heard about Queen Yellow? Word would spread fast but not that fast. Rain had to be cautious.

"Anyway, well, to present some normalcy, they grouped up a random bunch of humans...myself included, to fulfill...a quota I believe and uh...transferred me here..."

_Well done Rainbow, well done._

Greg nodded, though perhaps he was right to be a bit sceptical about it all. But Rain mustered what they could lie and lying was what they didn't like doing. Especially to Steven's Dad.

"Heh...yeah. Things have been chaotic around here so that doesn't surprise me either. But you were saying another Queen was assassinated?"

Oh dear. Rain had to perhaps, sprinkle in some truth if it helped their cause.

"Oh yes..." He said. Rain leaned over, his elbows on the table with his hands together and his chin on his intertwined fingers as he crossed his legs.

"Queen Yellow has met the same kind of end...so I have heard."

And hopefully Queen Pink very shortly....

But Greg didn't look too happy. He was fidgety with his own fingers and his eyes kept going to the back wall, before going back to Rain.

"So he's done it." He said, his voice quieter than normal.

"What has been said to be done...it's finally happening."

Rain furrowed his brows in confusion.

"What is happening, if you do not mind telling me?" He asked. He suspected something but what that something was had to be explained properly.

Greg leaned in and cleared his throat.

"It's a long tale kept within the reaches of this Compound. Most of us know but whether or not the others have been informed of the situation, but...has anyone told you about the Legend of Seven One Nine?"

Rain's eyes widened. Oh no. He fretted and tried to keep his cool. More lies to cover their butt but Steven didn't want any of it. Sweat rolled down his forehead in the internal struggle but Steven managed to keep it together on thin strings.

"I've...heard some rumours from the Quartz Warriors...." He said, his fingers under his chin as they waggled about, his focus on the mug in front of him he had grasped with his other hand.

"But please do tell."

Greg nodded as he got up shortly and went to the backboard with the drawings of Steven.

"I can get either give you the long or short version. But...Seven One Nine. My Son. Steven. I would have never believed it would come to this, before I met his mother all those years ago. But...there was a tale, foretold of the demise of the Diamond Queens, spoken by a Sapphire of the Corundum Coven that had me really believe in miracles...."

He went on to talk about how no one really believed this one, Pink Sapphire amidst all of all the others who did not tell of this....Queen Pink did not like Sapphires since some of their predictions never ended up being true. Or they did. Queen Pink had a penchant for lying according to Rose.

"The Sapphire came to see me in private...not long before my son was taken by the Quartz Warriors to the Arena. She told me...to let him go."

Let him go? Rain was confused.

"The same Sapphire that said the Diamond Queens deaths that were inevitable and people knew this. And I knew I would never see my son again once he left through that same front door I'd been hesitant to open again to anyone. Until now."

Looking at the table, Rain tried to deliberate with Steven as to what this actually meant. He tried to calm himself down, with more sweat rolling down in the strain against those odd emotions flowing through him again. He grasped both hands on the blue mug, requiring Greg to continue his story to gauge more of an understanding to it all.

"They...interrogated me....after the riots." Greg continued, the look of discomfort written all over this face.

"They wanted to know...who he really was...and I was...resistant to their ways. I said nothing...eventually...they stopped. The Quartz Warriors dragged me back here and I had heard nothing since. Truthfully, I'm surprised I'm still alive."

Rain knew. Rain knew they wanted to know the truth...frankly, the truth was more complex than anyone would hope to understand.

"I am sorry that happened to you." Rain said with sympathy...though it was half legitimate and half fake.

"But what about that Sapphire? What happened to her?"

Greg shrugged as he leaned against the walls and crossed his arms.

"Haven't seen her in a while." He answered.

"So much had changed between the Riots and now though. Everyone knows that there has been changes ever since we let Steven go. Big changes....and if what you're saying about Queen Yellow is right, then...what Rose has set in motion should come here..."

Rain gulped. So they had anticipated Steven's return to kill Queen Pink. It was written. Steven only knew so much...about himself...about the Temple of Obsidian and the tiny things that told him that this was going to be much bigger than he would have anticipated. All that training for the outside world. It was both foretold and it was planted. It took him a while to accept that he himself was designed for this...so that revelation softened the blow. And the obvious thing would be that if two Diamonds had been targeted and eliminated, that it would be really a matter of time until another was assassinated. It just made logical sense. Though what didn't make sense, was the lack of security; surely if Queen Pink had been smart, she would have ordered things to be a bit more tight around here...suspicions that would need to be verified. He hoped Greg could answer that too.

"Word would have to come to Queen Pink eventually." Said Rain.

"So why the lack of control when her sisters no longer exist in this world?"

Greg eventually sat back down and leaned back in his chair.

"There were restrictions and improvements in order shortly after the Riots." Greg explained.

"Humans that surrendered after Steven's escape were given lesser punishments...others were simply killed on the spot. I had stayed here until the whole thing blew over...and before I was taken away for that moment. But you know, life started to improve...only for a short while."

In a way that would have been seen as a positive, although, nothing could be farther from the truth.

"793, who also goes by the name, Jenny, took a stance afterwards. She held a crucial role in the riots, using her voice to somehow convince the Quartz Warriors to lessen their rules. I don't think people had an issue with working...we just wanted better conditions and less hassling..."

Jenny...Kiki's twin sister...she had always been a go-getter and a staunch opponent to the laws the Diamond Queens enforced upon humanity. She must have been devastated about her sisters demise. She was a head of the Union after her grand mother passed away; a group of sorts that had always been fighting for a better future for humanity. Sometimes the Quartz Warriors listened and the Agates in place of Queen Pink. As long as the rules didn't undermine their authority some new rules were put into place. Some didn't last too long though.

  
"Oh and then there is Captain Jasper. She's something else entirely."

The last thing Rain recalled was Jasper being poofed by Steven; handing her Gem to one of her underlings. How had she been holding up?

"She went out on some kind of expedition and came back a different person. She was the roughest of rough and really had it out for Steven and was dead set on bringing him back the Compound; constantly bragging on how she'll bring her to Queen Pink and that she'll get him to serve as her protector and maybe advocate for a better position...she made it no secret that she wanted out of this Compound to Queen Yellows...but when she got back without Steven, she was so...oddly quiet and withdrawn. Something obviously happened to her out there in the Drylands. Some say a monster got to her but I know better."

Defeating her made her more humble perhaps? Where was she now?

"But she must know that, if the case were that...well, Steven was preparing to come back her to...clean up Queen Pink, then she would have been prepared for that too yes?" Rain put forth.

An idea that came to Rain naturally...but Greg as he swirled the remaining tea in his mug, thought otherwise

"I dunno. The Sapphires prediction really got to people...and Gems...and the Quartz Warriors. Sowing doubt against the populace. Logically speaking yeah, preparing for an inevitable beating would be the ideal path to take...but no. Since no one sees Queen Pink, no one really knows what she's thinking."

And the Sapphire herself was no where to found to help clarify it. Suspicious.

"But Jaspers Quartz Warriors say that if Steven were to come back, that he immediately be brought to Queen Pink. Heh..it's like, does she think she stands a chance against a man who's already defeated her sisters?"

And it was common knowledge that Queen Pink was the weakest of the four anyway. Rain wanted to clear this up quickly so they could move on the the Light of Psyche...though he couldn't help but ask one thing.

"What would happen...if say, Steven was right here, right now...what would you do?" He questioned.

Words that brought a smile on Gregs lips.

"I would hug him, tell him I've missed him dearly....."

Tears that formed his his eyes told Rain everything he needed to know...as the guilt ran through upon such a saddened sight. If only Rain could, he would embrace him...but to Greg, he was but a stranger....and that he was hesitant to make such contact for multiple reasons. And _not_ because Greg was sniffing and beginning to bawl.

"Say...that I'm proud of him...and I _love_ him..._because._.."

Rain looked at their hands as they began to shake, the arguing between Steven and Pearl apparent as Steven so desperately wanted to hug his dad to tell him he was fine that he loved him too, but right now, it wouldn't be fair on Greg himself to do so. He made fists and tried to appear at least, sympathetic.

"Hey it's okay." He said with a faint smile.

"I'm sure he misses you too."

And he did...very much so...so Greg took a nearby tissue box and started blowing his nose, which had Rain grimacing.

"I'm sorry to put this all on you." Greg said.

"I mean, you just got here and here I am blabbing about the past...and has beens. You're welcome to take Steven's old room...it's just that I haven't touched it since he left ya know..."

Though Rain ultimately had other plans. Desires to go into his room were pointless parts of nostalgic value anyway. One day, just not today.

"I don't have to be in this particular house if it causes you too much grief." He said.

"Besides, I haven't even been to the Processing Centre yet. I'll go for a walk."

Greg shook his head.

"You're welcome here any time if you don't want to stay." He said.

"It's been a while since I've been able to talk to anyone that wasn't small talk. And...and it's been something I've been meaning to...get off my chest...and I keep hoping Steven would walk through the front door to say that it's all over...and that we're finally free of this tyranny."

Rain smiled warmly. He'd gotten up and noticed fake white flowers in a red vase and took one. He sniffed it, though it no particular aroma which saddened him.

"I appreciate your hospitality Greg." He said.

"I hope for your sake you get to see your son again."

* * *

He left with a heavy load left on his own mind; a reminder of what Steven had really left behind but he was glad to meet Greg this way, even if it was indirect. It didn't stop him from feeling the equal amounts of guilt pouring in from both Steven and Pearl at the moment. He had been hit with a lot...especially since the Riots themselves. Much had both changed and didn't change a great deal. But right now, Rain felt need to visit someone else.

The graveyards. A place that was probably the largest of all the compounds and protected by a lowly human groundskeeper. There had been arguments to and for to dig this place up to make more room. Most people were cremated for spacial reasons but some were buried in the early days of the Compounds existence. But when you're dealing with thousands of humans who's life spans were naturally so short, it fills up quickly.

Kiki's grave one of of many in a row of multiple rows. A simple square shape of a darkened rock. It was marked with her code; PD-KP-795 and her name in quotation marks. Rainbow had since defused back into Steven and Pearl. The former with the white flower in his hands and the latter behind him with her hands resting in front of her, her eyes to the ground to mark her respect. Steven was pensive, deep in the same vision of her death playing over and over again in his head and the way that she refused to look away from him as the flames took her.

The winds rustled the crusted blades of grass underneath their feet and played with their hair. Shaken but not entirely uprooted. He placed the flower in front of the grave and caressed the top of the grave. It had him thinking about the sacrifice he would have to make. That one day, he would have the ultimate choice to join her down the Dark Corridor...or to join Peridot on the Beach...another decision that would give him more grief than anything...even in death, it would not give him any semblance of peace.

"I'll see you soon Kiki." He whispered.

Whether or not any of what had been said had an ounce of truth, Steven wouldn't really believe anything unless it was shown to him. If he had the power to unite Gems and humans in life, then surely he would be able to do so after he parted this world. Even maybe inventing some kind of Code, no matter how long it could take for him to invent it.

Though sadness turned to anger quite quickly. He had to protect Connie from all of this as well. Steven failed with Kiki so he was not going to fail on her now...and that she was worth more than life itself to him.

"She really meant a lot to you." Pearl commented.

Steven's heavy sigh lifted his shoulders momentarily.

"She was one of my first friends." He said.

"To think, an act to protect her from dying did the complete opposite."

And maybe as a weapon to protect Connie...maybe not being near here would allow her to survive. It'd been a problem running around his head for ages...that the reason for his loneliness was that Steven was in fact, too dangerous to live...his purpose to save the world and nothing more.

"And...and this...Sapphire...Dad never told me about her. No one did."

Pearl remained vigilant on that count as she said nothing further. What frustrated Steven the most, was the fact that while his mother had mapped it all for the them to enact upon, there really was no proper guideline for him to follow. A weapon finds its way into hands in strange ways but when you are that weapon...he could only really direct himself.

"And Mom never told you about everything?"

And the Gem herself was a bit more on the reluctant side to say a great deal. A sombre atmosphere all around made it difficult to process the right words. Especially with the one she loved.

"No." Pearl answered.

"I would have thought so...but...the Knights of Gaia could be as secretive as the Scribes of Psyche. As one of their best Knights...an Affinity Child at that, she would have done what she could in order to defend her loved ones..."

Her eyes darted to the right.

"Even her son."

How much of that was real anyway? He'd never even got to meet his own mother. Such thoughts directed him to more anger than love when he'd come across thinking about her. Now more so on his status as a Spirit Seal Relic...only forging him as not necessarily her child, but as a direct way to ensure that the Queens would meet their end...and it would be an honour to do so...seeing first hand on how derelict the world was as it was faded by default...but to rebuild the world with colour no longer their enemy...to allow everyone to love, learn and grow once more...to die was a small price to pay in the end....all for the greater good.

"You are aware that I might not survive this myself." He told her.

Better she know now...given that it was going to be a matter of time until Connie would find out. Pearl though, just lowered her head.

"Steven...I..."

She had bit into her knuckles as Steven turned around to face her. 

"I'm sure that we'll all be safe and sound once this is all over."

A fantasy...nothing more. Steven's seen his fair share of death and destruction already and it had taken him a while to accept the fact that he will die. It would need him to put his affairs in order before they would encounter Queen White.

"If only it were that simple." He acknowledged with a grin.

"But promise me you'll protect Connie."

A promise Pearl immediately found difficult to enforce herself...knowing how much Steven adored that girl...but he had not known about Connie's biggest secret...and that time was indeed running out.

"Write some Code for her....I don't know...anything you can do in your power to make sure she survives to see the world turn the colour back on. She was born free....she was destined for the free life."

A sentence that struck Pearl instantly. It sounded so similar to...

"Steven is that you?"

He lifted his head to up to see a familiar face before him. Dark skin. black hair and the usual pink jumpsuit, with the name tag. "PD-JP-793"

"Jenny?" He said with surprise.

Kiki's Sister?

It would be a topic left for later, as the woman stormed up to Steven. Pearl stood back and could only watch in horror as the woman punched Steven in the face. The hybrid recovered quickly, but didn't fight back as Jenny glared at him at first, but then her face softened, before she suddenly wrapped her arms around him and tightened her grip.   
"Oh man, they said you would come back!" She said as tears ran down her face.

"Come, quick, follow me back to my place, we have a lot to talk about!"


	43. The Fourth Compound Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Pearl have a chat with Jenny and stay the night at her families residence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another fave is introduced into this chapter! In a very, sharp way ;)

Typical Jenny. She'd always been the rough one in the family. She was more physical than Kiki and had been in the Arena just as many times as Steven had been just for the fun of it. After that interesting reunion, Jenny escorted Steven and Pearl back to their place. It had been around for a while and was one of the few houses a bit different from the rest. Larger since her family had been residing in the place for a while. Their main function here was maintaining rations as part of the deal with the Quartz Warriors from way back when to protect their family, especially after Kiki's death.

Some Compoundees were envious of that particular position and rightly so. They weren't exceptionally popular, but they didn't really care too much about what other people would think. The years Steven and Kiki had spent together were definitely telling, as Kiki told him that Jenny had always been the one to be the heir to their franchise and had to act just as tough as her grandmother and father and was deep in her ideals as to not let them down. Kiki was always the daydreamer and being in the Arena for one thing was still surprising, since it had usually been Jenny...although a once forgotten line of thought returned back in a hurry, a particular suspicion that still held shreds of evidence but not without proof.

Jenny would call it a mansion, as Pearl beamed at how clean the place was; Jenny said their servants would keep it spotless. Steven had been in here several times within Kiki's presence, much to their fathers dismay. But eventually he warmed up to Steven, even if he never said.

These days, their father had issues with managing the troubling populace and that he was often in constant meetings with Pink's Court especially when it came up to the higher ups who were more in Pink's place as a proxy; her Pink Zircon and her Pink Sapphire more so and surrounded by Quartz Warriors. Jenny held her fathers courage to the highest standard and that he could be as tough with the rest of them. The Quartz Warriors enjoyed his banter more so, but otherwise he was in control of the food supply and handled that more efficiently than any Gem.

No one really went too hungry; Compoundees were allowed to go to the Dispensary once a week to get limited supplies for the week. They had it all organized to make sure there was enough food for everyone but where the food would come from? Scraps from the other compounds mostly, but there were processing unit factories towards the back ends of the Compound and that was strictly run by a small selection of humans and gems; artificial meats and so forth. But if there was an issue, then rations would be tightened as punishment.

Jenny went to explain the risk it took to get Steven out of there that day the Compound burned and she relented the loss of her sister in that space. Punching Steven in the face was a spice of relief for how much aggression had been pent up while he was gone. He knew that feeling all too well.

Having been seated in the dining room with the long wooden table, filled with darker shades of brown and a single working grandfather clock, they talked about that unfortunate day, where Steven's gut would still churn of guilt and the like, darkness with the embers of his regret. Regret symbolised by the larger memorial on the nearby wall, filled etched in names of their family members that had passed away; Kiki being the last one etched into the purified lumber with golden text.

"I'm...I'm really sorry. I didn't want her to die." Steven said, sitting on one end and Jenny on the other. Pearl stood next to him, remaining silent.

Jenny on the other hand had sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. She looked too relaxed for one.

"I know. And I had to sneak you through back alleys to get ya here...so you don't die." She pointed out to him.

Not yet anyway.

"No one expected ya to be back at all...but I'd been hearing them rumours. Queen Blue. Queen Yellow. Deader than dead...and ya'll rock up to this Compound after so many years? A bit suspicious but then I did a little diggin' myself."

Steven swallowed. He'd only shared so much with Kiki to begin with about the reality of his situation. Being half of those being imprisoned. Kiki never judged him for it and Jenny eventually found out too, but kept the secret anyway...mostly because her sister cared for him so much and that he'd been her only close friend.

"What ever you think I'm here for is true. I won't lie." Steven said as he exchanged glances with Pearl.

"I'm here to kill Queen Pink."

Jenny nodded.

"Yeah they said this time would come. I was talking with Ronaldo, that has been and chattin' with Buck and Sour Cream. When you have as many contacts as I do, you tend to be able to...ask for favours."

She would be...and if Jenny wanted something she would get it. Something Kiki had wished she had the drive and the lack of fear to pursue.

"But there have been hidden rooms in Queen Pinks Palace. Let's say the Gem I had spoken to has been in and out of the place hundreds of times...one of the fair few that had been. She's bit of a Paranoid one, since she's holdin' her own secrets but she's the only one who's been the closest to Queen Pink....technically the only one Queen Pink trusts."

Pearl blinked and her expression had to change to one Steven couldn't described, but he let her say her word. All the while there was a tinge of internal turmoil in the atmosphere that surrounded Steven. Something didn't feel right.

"I know who you're talking about." She said.

"Rose used to talk about her, but I'm surprised she's still around. Are we able to get in a word with her? It's kind of important."

Jenny shrugged as she crossed her arms.

"Maybe, I don't know." She said.

"But Steven, answer me this. Even if you do kill her, there's going to be a lot more disorder than there was here before. The Warriors will try and impose their rules without their Queen holding them back. The same thing has been happening in the other Compounds. Queen Pink wants nothing to do with them and she's going to maintain her authority as much as she can so she can protect us."

It was then Steven slammed his fist down on table, surprising Jenny as Steven's temper took hold.

"Queen Pink is_ nothing_ more than a lazy, incompetent wretch that has done nothing for us! I know the story behind how Rose Quartz took control of the Gaian Knights and she was left a complete mess with the lack of power she no longer had after her Rebellion. It serves her and her sisters right for what they've done to this world."

This stunned Pearl as she stood back and let Steven rip into Jenny.

"Don't you want to see the skies that were once blue? Don't you want to feel the suns mystical rays on your skin? Stolen from our own ancestors and the Queens deserve nothing more than their own demise for what they've done to this planet. And all you're worried about is her maintaining this so called, authority. WHAT AUTHORITY JENNY? WHAT AUTHORITY DOES SHE HAVE? BLUE AND YELLOW ARE DEAD AND SHE'S NEXT!"

Jenny then glared at him as she slapped her palms on the table and pointed fingers.

"How...how _dare_ you!" She cried out.

"My family has protected you for years and all we get is this kind of disrespect? Who was the only one who told the Quartz Warriors to lay off on your father after the Riots? It was my dad...and who was it that let you into this house...eat at our table and get extra helpings? We've had a decent, working relationship with the Warriors and Queen Pink since day one and you want to rip that apart?

Suspicion riled up his throat like bile, bringing back something that didn't add up, especially on the day of the riots...

"You want...you _want_ to live like this?" Steven questioned.

"Humans aren't meant to be controlled like this Jenny. We're nothing but slaves!"

He heard the whistle from her nose from how angered she was at this.

"We're not slaves Steven." She pleaded.

"We're living. We're breathing. We have shelter and we have food. That's all that matters."

And that hit the nail on the coffin as Steven's eyes turned hot pink and smashed the table into pieces, his aura lighting up, shrouding himself in pink light, scaring Jenny as she shot up and walked back a few paces. Pearl herself stood back as well, not wanting to be in his warpath if she could help it.

"KIKI IS _DEAD_ BECAUSE OF THEM." He cried.

"IF YOU HAD SUCH GOOD CONNECTIONS SHE..."

Wait... he looked down at the ground, thinking about all the moments that Jenny liked to brag about her accomplishments at the Arena...and yet, it was Kiki that was there that day and not Jenny.

"Why was Kiki selected to be at the Arena instead of you that day? She's never been chosen or wanted to be in them so badly like you."

And Steven remembered how scared she was, how much this had caused her much distress that Steven had no choice but to replace her at the Death Match...unless...by this point, Jenny was shaking in terror, her knees wobbling but she attempted to call Steven out on bringing up her sister like that.

"Steven, I...I loved my sister! My only sibling..." She choked as tears ran down her spine.

"I..."

"You knew it was going to be a Death Match didn't you?" Pearl said.

"You have a fear of dying and when the Quartz Warriors had come to collect you, you said Kiki wanted to give the Arena a chance but you didn't tell her that it was a Death Match. You sent your own sister to her doom."

The girl fell to her knees and held her head in her hands as she sobbed. 

"No....no...that's not it." She said.

"My father said...said that we needed to get Steven out of the Compound. I don't...I didn't understand why so...he said to send Kiki in my place. Why I don't know. I never knew it was a Death Match...because Dad would tell me and ask the Warriors not to take his daughters...but that day, it was _him_ who sent Kiki."

Their father? Steven was puzzled. 

"I don't know why they wanted you out...maybe because he didn't like how close you were getting to her and I'm not sure..."

Pearl's brows furrowed.

"Didn't your father like Steven?" She asked.

Jenny swallowed.

"I...I thought he did...but...I've heard him one more than one occasion....saying....Steven is nothing more than nuisance to this family! I know his father's links to the infamous Rose Quartz traitor....and I think...I think what he did was he...knew how much close you and Kiki were and that without a doubt you would take her place in the Death Match."

Steven blinked. Their dad tried to kill him? He looked at his flowing hands as she shook. He really was a monster.

"After the riots, they brought Kiki's body back and he wept for weeks. If it wasn't for me, he would have had the Warriors kill your dad."

Steven put a hand to his face, scrunching his eyes and trying to get a hold of himself...trying to calm down after that heated discussion. He sunk on his knees to the floor. So Kiki's death was still on him after all. But... he felt Pearls hand on his shoulder as she tried to comfort him, all the while keeping a stern look on the woman. Steven had been holding that guilt for years after the incident...but knowing that Dad wanted Steven dead was another thing entirely. But it made sense. This family was technically on nobility status in this Compound and that killing Pink would ruin that status...so they had links to the Diamond Queen whom had never been seen exiting her tower only for Arena matches, even then she was rugged up and no one really could see her face. She couldn't still be depressed about what his mother did to her, surely.

"But I know Kiki loved you...she considered you her best friend and that the time you had spent together had been some of the best she had."

And Steven had made a mess of things. Smashing the tables because of his own uncontrollable rage...rage that should be directed towards the Diamond Queen....seeing the splinters and bits of wood scattered about him...he was ashamed of himself.

"Look stay here for the night. I'll contact a few people, see if I can't ruffle up some feathers. If we can get you into Pink's Tower, then I need to go down the chain of command..."

And ruffling up feathers was what Jenny did best. He then stood up on his own accord and looked at Jenny right in the eyes. She was a bit uneasy about, the way that she looked back with those eyes drowning in uncertainty and worry for the man.

"I'm sorry Jenny." He said, his voice low.

"And thank you....it's been hard."

She nodded, before giving him a hug.

"I know." She acknowledged.

"I know."

* * *

The mansion they were in had two floors...the bedrooms being on the top of the stairs. Jenny let him sleep in Kiki's room, where they would play for hours as kids. Her room was filled with old world contraband. Posters of joggers and conversations on how Kiki just wanted to run...but unfortunately the desires to run were always considered to connected to freedom. Running around the house was a big no no, as their father would scold them.

Steven sat on the edge of her bed, still kept clean behest of their request to make sure her room was in good condition. Filled with colours of green. She loved green. Green blankets, rugs...everything would be as pristine as it could be for old world objects...it would be considered in good taste if it weren't for the boarded up windows.

Pearl lit up the candles to the room as Steven settled himself in. The day was done and he was exhausted both physically and emotionally. He'd left his gear on the side of the double bed and slammed his face into the pillow as the bed squeaked underneath his weight. He imagined Connie lying there with a smile on her face, eager to chat about each others days. He eventually shuffled himself around, taking off his boots and allowing himself to lay back on the bed, resting his hands on his chest as he looked at the roof.

"Pearl." He muttered.

"Yes Steven?" She answered, standing by.

"Some days I don't want to be that important for people to die for me and for others to die for something that's supposed to be a just cause. It all went to hell after I resurrected that guy in the Arena...and for one life I saved, many more had to suffer as a result."

It wouldn't be the first time. Pearl held the belief, so close to her chest in the day that Rose died to create Steven, perhaps it was something that was a catalyst. But in the end, it was a similar story of death and rebirth. A topic Rose held close to her chest for many years and the stories she would tell the Gaian Knights night after night about holding the eventual rebirth of the world around them. In our demise, that others may be reborn greater than those whom had been left behind.

"The world's been suffering for a long time." Pearl explained, her voice soft as she lit the candle on the bedside table next to him, giving the room an incandescent glow. 

"The Unforgiving Sin...sacrificed the world for the Rebirth of the Queens as Gods."

But the world wasn't made a Martyr because of it. The Queens tried to erase Knowledge of the Old Gods and put themselves in their place as the truest deities on the strongest of lies. But Steven was no God. He was a half-breed stuck in between two forms of conflicting life. In eternal limbo with no real direction to go but forward into the unknown.

"Humans and Gems....voices that are left silent. Out of fear, sadness...or in boiling rage that they cannot use against invulnerable enemies. Which is why, our task is important to give voices to the lost souls of forgotten eras. Your voice is your mothers...and that for every Unsaved you collect that their voices join in on the chorus."

And the song of sorrow, never heard by anyone else. There were Gems who held the regret to their chest to this day, once following the words of their beloved, radiant masters...but still held the love for the human counterparts. Those who would remember the good old days before the sun died.

"Yet the world holds on. Holds on to hope." Pearl continued.

"The Chorus will be able to sing its song to you if you succeed."

And yet the Burning Ghosts will still scream as they're dragged into the Dark Corridor with no return. It wasn't just about Gems. He watched as Pearl brought up a chair nearby and took out a book and the quill and started to write in it. Was she using that magic that they had been talking about?

"What are you doing?" He asked.

Pearl paid him no mind, but still offered to share.

"Writing Code." She said.

"As I have told you, you need to have a Code prepared to fight against Queen Pink. Her voice is louder than any choir and you need to silence her straight away."

After everything, Steven still never heard her talk either. Not that he could remember her doing so. But the magic Pearl had been teaching him previously was about to be actioned. Just, Steven wasn't sure how to approach it.

"I've never used that magic in action before Pearl." He said.

"Like you said, it's complex. I don't think I can pull it off."

Her eyelids were half drawn, looking at Steven in a way that had him feel weird about. It was something he'd never seen her show. It was serious, but it was tender at the same time. 

"The Code does require more proper magical reserves when it comes to....higher powered Gems." She said.

"If I was to pull off the Code, the spell wouldn't last that long. Some Code draws on immense strength to last."

How long would they need this Mute Spell to go for anyway? Was Queen Pink going to be that hard or annoying to fight? There was a fear in not knowing but the anticipation to finally take her down did make him a tinge restless.

"So you gonna teach me how to use it then? I mean, writing it half the battle." He asked.

Pearl nodded and smiled warmly. She had given him the basics, but some of it he had struggled to grasp. Concepts and ideas of codes he could write, but he would need more time to explore that. He relayed most of the harder parts to Pearl and watch her pull off smaller party tricks. But if this required his given power as Quartz with absorbed energies from ordinary Gems and Diamonds, then he could how making sure they could get as much time having Pink shut down verbally as they possibly could. Pearl urged caution with Pink's supposed power, but any advantage given to take her down quickly would be preferred irregardless. They weren't here to make battles look pretty; they just needed to make sure they could get the job done.

"Of course." She said.

"Pronunciation and remembering the Code perfectly is all you need to worry about."

She showed him the book of the massive amounts of hieroglyphs she had written for him so far. He understood some of it, but not all. But she sat by his side, in this home he had once called, smelling the odd scent of rosemary in the air; Kiki's favourite aroma, and flashing back to when they were younger, playing with the least broken toys. Some nights, he could hear her in his dreams...and that was when he was alone. That voice, had been put aside and replaced with Connie's. How he missed her...and that one day, that they could have children of their own, playing away in the innocence he would do much to protect. But he knew that wouldn't possible. Steven knew his fate would put him in a state of eternal loneliness, unless he found a way to create a bridge between the Dark Corridor and the Beach.

Maybe write his own code. That would be nice.

* * *

Later that night, as Steven fell asleep after hours spent working on the Mute Spell, Pearl had since left Steven to his privacy, waiting outside his door until he awakened. Steven on that count, tussled in the darkness, couldn't stop himself from dreaming the strangest dreams...stranger than normal. He would think the tension between himself and Jenny would leave him writhing in guilt and in some type of fashion, it kinda did. Either way, it could have been worse than imaginging fake Codes of all sorts of spells being thrown at for no reason than to torment Steven with his real desires and to throw them down the drain. It was a common occurrence.

But tonight was different. It wasn't him lashing out at Jenny, or Pearl's Code or, much to dismay, it wasn't dreaming about kissing Connie and touching her skin...instead, his eyes shot wide open...and the silence was to be had, but a nagging sensation tugged at his conscience as a repetitive set of whispering. A pink glow flashed beside his bed as Steven shuffled over. The duffel bag Pearl brought out of her gem that contained the sword was brimming with an interesting energy. Steven went to investigate as he unzipped the bag...and the sword shot out of the bag and pulled itself towards Steven's throat as he raised his hands. Odd. This hasn't happened before. It moved about, pointing towards the previously lit candle to light it up again, then pointed its sharp end against the wall.

He squinted, see shadows moving about against it. A large figure, talking with a small, thin one. He could make out the shape of the latter, based on the rounded head and pointy nose to possibly be Pearl, but the big, bulky one with odd dreads...he had no idea.

Lips moved but no sound was coming out of their mouths. He could identify heaving shoulders as laughter and big hands on Pearls shoulder as camaraderie. It was then she showed off what appeared to the shape of the Rage of Gaia itself in all its glory. Steven continued to watch as she handed the sword to Pearl, who walked off. The mysterious person still stood there, unaware of the gargantuan individual, taller, wider with unusual curlier hair who had walked behind the mystery person. The larger being raised the sword behind the mystery person, unaware what was going on as they had confidence in their stance, their hands on their hips, before they sliced the individual, poofing them instantly...except the grey smoke filled the room instantly with colourful sparkles being spread everywhere. Once the smoke dissipated, the floor was replaced by blue stone and a huge, glowing pink summoning rune was placed in front of the bed. The Sword itself flew over and levitated above the middle of it. Sparkles and tiny flames flickered above the tiny lines as Steven shuffled himself off the bed, walking over to the sword to examine it further.

It must have been the Gem within it, trying tell himself something but couldn't do so. What kind of Gem was sacrificed for the sake of uplifting Queen Pink? He could not say for sure. 

"Who...who are you? My name is Steven." Steven asked.

"It's okay, I'm not here to hurt you."

The Sword pointed itself towards Steven. It had some form of sentience, but nothing to say or any Gem it could spill out of it. Still, Steven had never even witnessed the Rage of Gaia communicating like this since he retrieved it. Unless.

"You're the one who showed me the vision back in the Temple where we found you?" He asked.

The sword lowered itself down, like it was saying yes with a simple gesture.

"I know what you are." Steven said.

"We've got a lot in common already."

People would call him insane for talking to what once an inanimate object.

"We're both Weapons. I mean, I'm a walking, talking weapon but ya know, the same." Steven said sheepishly as he rubbed his neck.

The sword moved back a tad, then lowered the front end again. This Gem was a lot more shy than the Mirror Gem or Peridot. He could understand and he wasn't going to force this one to talk if they didn't want to. But it was awfully telling of the way this had panned out. He was going to give this Gem some peace once more. They were so close and even in this Gems death, there was a unfamiliar satisfaction in letting their spirit free. That maybe that's what Pearl meant about the glories of death and rebirth. The death of another, to reform for the greater good. Steven was still coming to terms of his status that it was maybe he'd become content with dying, though there were always reasons to live. In the new world Steven would help forge, he would cry as his last request to stop this glorification...this...desire to give everything and get nothing in return for themselves but false honour and reputation of their noble deed spreading on deaf ears.

"But we'll kill Queen Pink. Together...and you will be allowed to breath again. I promise you....uhhh do you have a name?"

The sword itself lingered there, as if in deep contemplation. It eventually ascended upwards and shot past Steven's head to the back wall. It started slicing and carving glowing lines into the blue stone as sparks flew everywhere from its influence. It reminded him a lot from when Connie and him first met, that lack of communication due to them being strangers only being really permitted through body language. 

The sword pulled away from it as Steven could see the big thin letters form before him on the back wall.

"_Bismuth_." Steven murmured.

The sword itself got closer to him, Steven unwary of its intentions. He's heard of Bismuth type Gems and read about them in books. So this one had to be pretty special to be part of Pink's Ritual. He would eventually get to enact her revenge on her maker.

It was fine, until the sword sped forward and suddenly stabbed Steven in the gut.

* * *

Steven shot up in gasp, grasping the bedsheets in a terror sweat as he felt his stomach. No blood, but Steven whined as the pain was definitely real. He looked around, seeing the dark room before him. Oxygen returned to him, as he took the shaky moment to peer over the bed again, to see the duffel bag still closed. He sighed with relief, knowing that what he saw was simply a dream. Not the kind of dream he wanted to see, but although, it was one he needed to experience.

The following morning had Steven getting ready, with Pearl handing him her book again and telling him that today was the day. They had a whole day planned to infiltrate Pink's Tower and the way they were going to go about it. 

This time Steven kept the sword close, as they left the Mansion with their intentions clear.


	44. The Fourth Compound Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Pearl enter Queen Pinks Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another familiar Gem is introduced!  
Also thank you for those who have been sticking around. I really do appreciate your comments!  
I wonder if people wanted me to draw the Dryverse Version of Pearl? My headcanon of her design is quite interesting.

A world drenched in dust, dirt and with the eternal clouds made it difficult to determine when the day began and when the day really ended. A spectrum of a monotone existence, immortal Gems that don't fret all over that kind of nonsense but in the way that humans would have the most trouble in regards to their own sleeping cycles.

And Steven was a dreamer, a believer and a doer. An imagination that swam with conscious thoughts throughout the day and unconscious ideologies throughout the night. Something that Gems never really had. Yet, that which haunts him the most...

He sits on a Throne of Wooden covered in pink roses, alone in an abandoned house. He can see what appeared to be Queen Yellow and Queen Blue sitting on their respective thrones with masks on their faces that prevented them from speaking and clasps on their wrists, ankles and necks to prevent them from escaping.

The Abandoned House was made of a light coloured wood, worn and broken with time. A dining room, a kitchen. But otherwise, unremarkable in design. This was someones home and while Steven never visited anything like this place, it was always a house he'd dream about, despite never have seen it before.

The imprisoned Blue and Yellow could keep their eyes on the questioning Steven who never wanted to open his mouth, his true desire to clamp on their reasons and excuses. He wasn't sure if he put the restraints on them, but their power was within him now...and his to own. Blue's passive energies to envelop others in her depressing light and Yellow's aggressive energies to shock people with her imposing power. Reasons for torment, reasons for control. What would happen of he lifted the masks? What would they say?

A conscious thought on the daily basis on whether not he could control their powers was a constant debate. He'd never felt much from destroying Unsaved Gems, but more so the regret and the sadness from each one that to die. Did he feel the same for the Queens he's helped destroy?

They didn't argue...they had put up a fight every time he found himself in the Abandoned House...and dreams were dreams; they weren't real. Yet, they could still help shape the reality around his head to make matters clearer or more obscure, depending on what he saw.

White's Curse suggested she too held the power of the mind...in the way his destruction of the Diamond Queens linked him to her and that she was inevitably going to wait for Steven to come her. He wasn't going to deny that...he would be a fool to think otherwise.

But in that case, he would have a Throne ready for White...after he's dealt with Queen Pink.

* * *

Steven and Pearl fused into Rain again, with Jenny ultimately confused by their fusion and disguise but running with it anyway for the sake of their mission. She took them to the tall White Tower where Queen Pink resided and two Quartz Warriors Rain recognised from Jaspers gang; Ocean Jasper and Biggs Jasper were guarding the main doors. He swallowed, unsure of how this was going to be handled. Jenny spoke to them on their behalf; negotiating that Rain was here to talk to Pink. The two laughed in her face, thinking she was joking. This was pointless from Rain's point of view; Pink would see nobody, let alone a random strange human that had just been introduced into their Compound. 

It was then the sliding doors opened, revealing a Gem Rain (and Steven) had never seen before. Poofy black hair with a bit of greyish pink through it and a black visor that shielded their eyes, as well, as wearing a dark red cloak. They were tell, kind of bulky and dark red skin and a pointy nose just like Pearls.

"Oh Rhodey!" Jenny said with a smile as she waived to the Gem.

"Can you tell these two bozos that this newbie has been requested by Queen Pink herself?"

This, Rhodey, lifted her chin up and walked towards Rain with a slow strut. A hand with thick fingers shot out from underneath the robe as it grabbed Rain's chin and lifted it up. Rain swallowed, but otherwise remained calm in the face of danger.

"Uh yes...this is the one...personally requested by Queen Pink from Queen Blue's Domain." She said.

"After all the ruckus, Pink's been trying to get a hand on some of the more, interesting humans from the other Compounds before Queen White can get her hands on them. She wanted a report of what had been going on in the other Compounds. He would be the most valuable."

Rain was impressed with the type of lies that were being told right now that made him quite envious of it. This Rhodey who served Pink; why hadn't Steven met her before?

"Captain Jasper never told us about this." Biggs pointed out.

It was then Rhodey gave Biggs a slap on the back of her head, which had Rain wincing from second hand pain.

"She doesn't have to." Rhodey scolded in the most calm tone.

"Might I remind you that I'm the go between Pink and everyone else. You Quartzes need to know your place!"

The two then bowed forward, apologising to the Gem.

"Yes, of course, we're sorry Lady Rhodonite." Both Ocean and Biggs said in sync.

Rhodonite...a name that sounded somewhat familiar, but they couldn't really place the name...more less recalling it from Pearls memory more so than Steven's.

"You, come with me." Rhodonite said as she gestured with her index finger to follow her.

* * *

Entering into the base of the tower, it was more dark; with candles lit across the walls of the black hallways made of the darkest marble and stones; Rhodonite clicked her finger, which lit them all up with the same pink set of flames. They followed the authoritative Gem around, looking around the Forbidden Zone to where no human had ever entered. This place definitely felt empty yet, endless in terms of how large it seemed to be. Rhodonite did not take them to a set of spiral stairs; instead bringing them down a set of stairs to an old room so they could talk, one filled with numerous boxes filled with resources not in use.

It was then they cast off their robes and glasses, revealing another set of arms that were skinnier than the top set and two sets of eyes. Rhodonite was a fusion. Rain was left stunned by this.

"You two can unfuse now." She said.

Rain nodded, letting Pearl and Steven go their separate ways.

This particular room was one of many hidden in this giant facility, meant to be much, much larger than originally thought. Most of it was underground; maybe meant for processing and the like.

"I thought I recognised that name." Pearl said, resting her fingers together in front of her.

"You're from the Knights of Gaia, aren't you?"

Rhodonite nodded.

"Yeah. I've been here a long while, undercover. Tell ya what, this act is getting tiring...I worry about what's going on at the Hidden Village." She revealed.

The same Hidden Village Connie's parents had come from?

"Steven, Rhodonite is a valuable ally. She's part of the Council that governs the Knights...though I didn't really expect you of all people to be personally doing a mission." Pearl noted.

The Fusion laughed nervously, bashful about it all.

"Someone had to do something...I mean, after what Rose did, the Council wanted to investigate what Rose had been doing with the Crystal Priestesses. Let's say the Councils not very happy with them."

Steven gulped. Did the Knights know what was really going on after all these years? But then he remembered what Connie's parents mission was; to find his mother, but instead found Steven.

"So we've heard." Said Pearl.

"Do they know that Rose no longer exists?"

Rhodonite's eyes widened.

"What? was she...shattered? Grinded into dust by one of the Diamond Queens? Oh no...our mission is lost!" She said in a panic, butting the fingers of her upper arms.

Steven shook his head.

"No, no...I'm Steven, her son." He said.

Rhodonite blinked.

"That...that explains...oh dear...what did she do? Wait..."

It was then Rhodonite went behind Steven to examine the markings on the back of his neck, lifting up his hair and pulling down the neck of the jumpsuit to look at his code.

"Ah so you are Seven One Nine...but I never knew you were Rose's Son! I mean, that's technically impossible! A half breed? Or-or some kind of fusion between Rose and a Human?"

Steven sighed, looking at Pearl who wasn't going to say anything further unless Steven asked her to. He had to explain himself properly.

"Rose designed me to be a Weapon against the Queens." He told her.

"According to an Artchitect Mage, I'm some kind of...Advanced Spirit Seal Relic..."

Rhodonite tilted her head squinted, perplexed by it all.

"A-A Relic?" She stammered. She made a fist with one of her bigger hands and slammed into the palm of an adjacent one.

"Should have known Rose was up to no good...."

Steven furthered explained how his mother used her Gem in the ritual to forge him, the three standing around in the seclusion of this dead to the world room. Spirit Seal Relics...combination magic born of that of the Tempestan Tellers and the Miserian Understakers...but mixed with a bit of Gaian Magic for good measure...and the more Steven thought about it, given from what Pearl had taught him about the Code, he wouldn't be surprised of Psychic Scribe Spells were used as well, given how impossible Steven's existence was in general.

"Hmm...so the rumors were true. You're the one who's been tipping the balance of power." Rhodonite said.

"Right now....Queen Pink's been...sending out orders by proxy, aka using me to get Captain Jasper and many of the other Quartz Warriors to try and collect humans from the other Compounds....namely, she's also tried to get a specific human from the Blue Compound. Though, I thought it was you, but you don't go by the description or the number that she gave."

That was the least of their concerns. Steven just needed to get to Queen Pinks Chambers.

"It matters not." Said Pearl with steadfast words filled with pride.

"We have the Precursor Relic that will allow us to deal with Queen Pink. We need assistance with getting into her Chambers. You can still pretend that our fusion is the human she's asked for."

It was then Rhodonite eyed off Steven for what ever reason. He was no stranger to odd looks from other people. But from her...he wondered what she was thinking but at the same time, he just wanted to get this over and done with.

"Has this been the Crystal Priestesses plan all along?" She asked.

Though whether not she was asking Steven or even Pearl for that matter, Steven could only tell so much. He nudged to Pearl to allow her to explain it.

"Rose had planned for their demise, even during her time within the Knights." Pearl said with the hint of arrogance.

"You should know this."

Some history was told to Steven back at the Temple by Pearl. Rose helped found the Knights back before the Unforgiving Sin had been enacted so their history had gone way back. The Crystal Priestesses were the real face of the Rebellion, though it was suggested what ever remained of the true Gaian Knights had kept their eyes on her for many years...before losing track for reasons obvious only to the Priestesses themselves.

"I'm not sure, my contact was limited with my superiors." Rhodonite commented.

"We want the world reborn just as much as you do....but hiding away to do your own work...was Rose really loyal to Gaia's wisdom?"

And with such words made Pearl snap instantly bringing, out her spear as she slammed into the cold marble beneath them, creating a small crater. Such a shift in position, that Steven did not see coming.

"Rose left the Knights because...."

In that moment, Pearls eyes shifted to the right very quickly before they refocused on the fusion.

"The Knights were doing absolutely _nothing_ to solve the problem. They didn't want to kill the Queens because they were _terrified_!"

Rhodonite crossed her arms top arms and had her second set hands rest on her hips as she aimed at Pearl with impunity...as Steven felt the tension rise in the room between the two Gems that he did not want to be a part of, but may have to defuse...he imagined Pearl mimicking his own rage, seeing himself in her more so. But it made him suspect that there was more going between his mother and the Knights that what was being let on. Pearl was a part of that, surely...she would say Rose confided in her the most...so she would know more than anyone, what his mother had been doing.

Though this did contradict a few things...and Peridots words came back to him again.

"Why do you think I'm here still?" Rhodonite said.

"After Rose disappeared, the Knights ordered me to stay here to keep an eye on Queen Pink. I might not run the whole show, most of that's left to the Agates to command the Warriors, but I've heard more within these walls within the last few decades, than the Priestesses would ever hope to on their own, hiding away in that heretical temple."

The more Steven thought about, Rhodonite did have a point. The Knights held Rhodonite to her role, communicating what she could and being their only connection to Queen Pink. Pearl might not like it, but they had to trust the fusion.

"You're all a bunch of Affinity Children. Untouchable, but not without disgrace to our God."

You could practically see the steam coming from Pearl's head, her fury notwithstanding as it looked like she was about to pounce on the other Gem. Steven had to intervene as he stepped forward, raising his hands up to stop the two from making it worse.

"Alright you two, take it easy." Steven said, looking back and forth between the pair.

"We're on the same side."

It was Pearl who discarded her spear first, letting its magic fizzle into tiny stars as it vanished. She closed her eyes and put her arms behind her back and lifted her chin...giving the pose of confidence and the lock in of self-restraint, with the ooze of her smugness leaking through no matter how hard she tried not to...or she had done it deliberately to piss Rhodonite off even more.

"Look, Rhodonite, I'm sorry. Right now, I'm not letting this petty arguing cause any more delays. You will take us to Queen Pink. You will let us kill her. Then we will move on. What you will do after her demise, is protect the humans here."

Rhodonite blinked...she'd never met this human before this and let alone his status as Rose's Son did cause her to hold some doubt over it all.

"You do not lead me half-breed." Rhodonite told him.

No. He doesn't...and now it was his time to be pissed off...but though, he wasn't going to let it get to him like it did to Pearl just then. So he was going to let the rage fester, his energy was meant for Pink and not for this stubborn fusion...so he decided to talk low...but with the power behind his voice in the most careful manner he could create. She was pissed off at him because of who he was and who he had come from. For all Rhodonite could understand, Steven was an abomination...and she would look down upon as nothing more but the remnants of his mothers voice...he could see how the Knights would have begun to question Rose's decisions however; going dark and abandoning their caution to create their own faction with their own rules and goals. Pearl was absolutely correct in a way. Rose's Creation had done more to solve the issue of the Faded World then any Knight would have achieved under their rules and regulations. Pearl always said they were restricted to motions that would please their God more so. Rose knew that their way wasn't good enough and saw fit to forge something greater than what ever the Knights could. Bringing back a Dead God would not have been achieved through their methodology of useless prayers and rituals that amounted to nothing. So far, none of their ideas had made any notable improvement. And they had more years to work with than Steven did.

"No. But might I remind you, _I_ am the one who has _killed_ two Queens posing as False Gods." Steven said in a tone that would certainly frighten a lesser being. His voice was indeed low, calm and collected with the embers of passion with his words. He motioned with his hand to Pearl, as she gave him the Rage of Gaia and displayed it in front of Rhodonite. He held it so casually as all four of Rhodonites eyes went wide as the Sword gleamed in his hands, radiating a power that was once forged for the Knights.

"_The Champions Blade..._" Rhodonite whispered in awe.

"_Yes_." Said Pearl with a smirk on her face, loving the fact that it Rhodonite was amazed by it in a way that had changed her tempo.

"Rose had been a Champion of the Knights for a long time. A Gem forged this weapon and it was blessed by Gaia Themselves. Rose was Their Chosen One and it's fantastic power is only ever used by Gaia's favourite."

Steven suddenly heard a indecipherable whisper on unseen winds fly past his ears after she said that.

"As the natural order of life death and rebirth goes, Gaia favours Steven now, for he has inherited Rose's role as Gaia's newest Champion. He will guide us into a gleaming new era of peace and prosperity. Whether the Knights like it...or not..."

That was his goal yes, but the way Pearl mentioned it...it kind of scared him. Withdrawing into herself at that moment, Rhodonite kept her eye on Steven and the sword as he still held it in his hands as he moved it, and rested its tip on to the floor as he grasped the hilt.

"Seven One Nine. The one they tried to protect that day of the Riots." She said, her tone on one level.

"I only heard the rumors from the Warriors. I've never stepped foot into the streets of where humans dwell. Only information really passes through these doors. If you're wanting to kill Queen Pink. I won't stop you. I will make my report to the Knights however and when they hear about this, they'll be absolutely livid, most likely banning you from the Knights for eternity."

A fact Pearl did not care about at all. She rolled her eyes and shook her head as it fell into a her hand in a combination of disbelief and consternation. It wasn't rudimentary but Pearl had had enough drama for now. 

"We don't need the Knights anyway." She said.

"We will be the first to restore the planet without their help."

* * *

Though Steven wondered if Pearl really meant that. The last issue he wanted to have was to cause divide with those they should be deeming their allies. Rhodonite might as well have had been following orders from her superiors but from where they stood, they couldn't afford to stop when they had already gotten so far with what they've done already. So close to the end that was in sight. Just on the white horizon.

She relented and gave the two directions to the spiral stairs that lead up to Pinks Chambers. Finally, a day Steven had been longing for had finally arrived...something about going up there to smack Pink's face to get her to improve conditions was no longer a pipe dreams; except now, the matter was much more serious than before.

Rhodonite made do with Steven's request...not wanting to elevate the situation with "Gaia's Champion." what humans what do after Pink's demise was anyones guess, though Jenny mentioned her fear of the Quartz Warriors taking things on for themselves and ruling the humans...even abusing them, in Pink's stead, now that they had no one to tell them not...no Queen to order them around. He'd hate to think what Captain Jasper would do in this situation. So Rhodonite would try and hold things down for as long as she could, relaying her communications with Jenny and getting word out to the few humans that had been around long enough for her family to place faith in following their word. Namely, the humans could leave the Compound or stay if they wished it so. If they could survive the outer parts of the world that is. Steven had hoped Rhodonite could point them in the right direction of the Hidden Village, but she wouldn't risk its location for his sake. The lack of faith in him...no she was just...scared of Steven...she'd fallen for his bluff in that instant but letting a small group of humans free was a small price to pay in exchange for letting Steven take on Queen Pink himself.

More dark halls lit up as Steven and Pearl navigated through. He noted the lack of guards again...but this place was so big that it was easy to get lost in. His heart began to charge with anticipation, knowing that the end of this road was a long time coming.

Dark thoughts of vengeance clouded his head on how much he wanted to tear into Pink. Years of grief and resentment empowered his motion...the fury that Pearl had encouraged...to finally let it all and that her demise would be worth the while. A dream come true in the literal sense.

Footsteps echoed as Steven listened into them, but as he held the sword in his hands, he could also hear the sword trying to whisper to him. Pearl said nothing, following alongside him. Her lack of acknowledgement immediately made Steven get the practice that it was only him who heard it. Though he couldn't quite shake off the feeling his dream. Bismuth; the Gem sacrificed to allow Pink to claim Godhood.

Did Pearl know Bismuth? Was Bismuth one of the former knights? The dream suggested so.

"Did you know the Gem that made this blade?" He asked her.

Pearl blinked, though they didn't stop walking.

"Yes. She was an expert in weapons crafting." She said, her face still forward, straight and narrow.

A deep pool of darkness welled in his stomach. Without saying it, Steven knew she would have been used in the ritual for the Unforgiving Sin. The answer was obvious to him, but whether or not Pearl knew...

"I think she was sacrificed to turn this Sword into a Spirit Seal Relic." He said.

Now that cause Pearl to stop in her tracks. So Steven did too. So Pearl did know what happened.

"Has...she been speaking to you like Peridot did?" Pearl queried with tiniest bit of nerve.

Not really...well, not conventional speak...but written word and humbled chatter with no word that could really be translated. Steven only knew a tiny bit of Gem Glyph but mainly for the purposes of using the Code. His throat began to tighten.

"I think she's trying to." He answered.

"Her name was Bismuth."

Pearl nodded. As Steven turned around, she almost jumped. She rested her hands on her chest, sadness now plastering her face as her eyes were fixed on the ground again.

"Oh she was such a loyal Knight..." She said.

"How Pink betrayed her and Rose and everyone else."

Although, going from the shadows, Steven wasn't sure who the person who actually killed her was. A tall woman, a Gem most likely. 

"My theory is that Pink ordered a Gem to do it. Pink had Bismuth first create the Blade, then..."

The Blade was gifted to a Champion....the picture of his mother with his father back home...the outline, the shape...and how the sword hit Bismuths back. He looked at Pearl with the biggest amount of disbelief and heartbreak as tears slowly began to fall from his eyes from sudden realisation. No. That couldn't be true....could it? No...impossible, his mother would never...his pupils narrowed with the harrowing conclusion. Time stopped briefly, before a strike of pain hit his chest with the intent to destroy him from the inside with a fiery explosion of negative energies.

"Pearl...I think...I think_ Mom_ killed her. She _killed_ Bismuth..." He said, his voice beginning to crack.

The pieces were coming together. His mother must have...must have made a deal with Pink...or something, anything but he couldn't justify it. Pink needed a Gem to empower the sword. What better bit of cruel, sweet irony than to use the forger as part of the forged? It was just like Peridot's situation. Except a thousand times worse.

Assumptions grew in his head like a parasite of sorts. Tormenting him in endless potential and horrible possibilities. He broke down, falling to the ground on his hands as he begun to hyperventilate, dropping the sword onto the ground. Pearl went on her knees to try and comfort him as he couldn't hold back his tears, rubbing his back and trying to find a way to bring him back from the brink.

"Steven just breath, we can't give up yet." She said, before pausing for a brief moment. What could she say to help him recover?

"We don't know that it was your mother. For all we know, it could have been some other Rose Quartz. Queen Pink had many in her employ and might have used another one...stolen the sword and struck her down."

With words that stopped him in his tracks as his sobs ceased for the moment. Other Rose Quartzes?

"You-you think?" Steven sniffed as he looked at Pearl with a piece of hope in his face.

Pearl smiled. Anything to make him feel better with the knowledge that his mother was not a murderer was worth explaining to him to the best of her ability. After all, she only wished for him to be happy.

"Of course." She said.

"I mean, from what she told me, many people were envious that this specific Rose was chosen by Gaia. Using Pink as their relay to hand her the sword. Rose..."

Pearl's eyes jumped to her right again as she sat back on her knees.

"You should know that your mother had been against the Diamond Queens plan to enact the Unforgiving Sin. So I assumed that Pink...Pink would have...made up a story about how Rose was no longer Gaia's Champion, selecting a completely different Rose to do her dirty work."

Somehow...that made more sense to him than anything else. Why didn't he think of that? But...Pearl would know. Pearl understood. She understood his mother more than he did and she was most likely framed for the deed...whether or not it was indeed common knowledge or something else. What ever the case, he was glad it probably _wasn't_ her. He smiled through tears as Pearl wiped one away with her thumb. She then took the sword off the ground and rested it horizontally in her hands as she handed it back to Steven.

"And now...you are, without a doubt, Their chosen right now Steven. Gaia needs you more than ever...and you are the icon of Their vengeance. Not to mention... the real Head Priest of the Crystal Priestesses..."

Did she really still think he was still fit to rule them? Basically leaving out the fact that he was going to die at the end of it all? Did Pearl even comprehend that? Or did she know something else that Steven didn't?

"I don't deserve _that_ much." He said, before chuckling with awkward nerves. He looked down at the sword as he took it from her.

"You sound like you should be Gaia's Champion. You definitely have a bit of Their rage within you."

His words made Pearl blush as they stood up. An extraordinary compliment; not necessarily because it was something his mother once said, but the fact it was coming from Steven himself that she would forever treasure it, feeling the sense of Steven's power worth developing more pleasing than she even cared about Gaia to begin with. For what her goals were, Pearl's desires were more in line than ever.

"I am the the leading Gem of Peace and Justice...it is only right that I fight alongside the Gem of Courage and Harmony."

Steven smirked. He couldn't fault her dedication. 

* * *

Continuing onward, it was only a matter of time until the finally found the spiral stairs that would lead them to Queen Pink. Steven was charged once more, eager to finish the fight with destiny. With Pearl by his side, he couldn't fail. It was impossible. And that what his mother started, what she had made him to do...he was finally doing it. His mind was filled the with the sequence to which he was about to kill her. Killing Queen Blue was easy and Queen Yellow was a bit tougher but Steven felt that bit of suffering was worth the time it took in order to defeat her. Pearl said challenge was important in one of their lessons; so learning the Code was one of the most challenging things he's had to be educated with. He went over the spell in his head over and over again. Pearl said to shut her up. In a way, he wanted her to speak..but maybe...he could put a cuff around neck, linked to a chain...have her on her knees, begging for mercy like humans that had died under her rule. She didn't deserve to rule, not with the amount of neglect towards this Compound. He'd seen how humans were treated and that the state of the Compounds were superior in every way. Respect more so than anything and a cusp of understanding and acknowledgement at that. 

While they would have to fight for their positions, the competitiveness at least had them be triumph. Most people in the Fourth Compound were lazy, aloof...but that was because some...preferred death and on the worst days, his dad would tell him that they lost another one...found hanging inside their closet. The conditions were that bad that people just...didn't want to live anymore...and that wasn't right...that shouldn't be how humans were supposed to live that the only way life would be better was that they were dead.

Maybe that was their intentions that...eventually, that humans would die out...leaving the Gems to rule the world themselves. It made Steven all the more furious and determination to see this through. They deserved better.

He put on foot on a step, before he heard a voice call out.

"Stop it right there, Seven One Nine."

Steven and Pearl turned to see a familiar face.

"Jasper?" He said, in shock.

The Captain stood there with her lackeys Ocean and Biggs. Her arms were crossed as she approached him, as Pearl stood in front of him, preparing to launch herself at the Captain if she dared to get any closer.

"So, you've come crawling back here eh?" She mentioned, before she looked at Pearl.

"And look at this? You've got yourself a fair maiden? You really have been moving up the ranks, haven't you?"

He had no time to deal with her.

"Should have known you'll pull off this kind of stunt. You're a wealth of entertainment...still of great value."

He shook his head, summoning his shield and holding out his sword tightly. Jasper hadn't changed much at all, like he had hoped she would. But it was clear she still didn't learn her lesson.

"You're not gonna stop me getting to Queen Pink." He told her, his tone threatening enough to cause pause in the other Quartzes.

Instead, Jasper just laughed.

"Oh me? Stop _you_? I commend you for your efforts in defeating me last time." She said, smiling.

"I didn't know you had it in you...but the fact that you didn't crumble me into a million pieces did kind of disappoint me; your moment of weakness was your compassion for life. And now I'm here."

His eyes practically rolled into the back of his head from pure frustration. No. He did not have time for this. No more delays, as his body started to glow pink. Steven's blood began to boil, his patience wearing increasingly thin by the moment as she continued to waste their time. She better leave them be, or else.

"_Jasper...._" He said, the power within his voice echoing in the room.

"_Shut up_ or I will make **you!!!**"

Jasper pouted with that statement. She appeared unfazed by his showing off his metaphorical fangs but appeared more analytical if anything.

"Is that what you told Queen Blue and Yellow?" She asked.

"I heard the-"

_no._

No.

**NO.**

She had to shut_ up._

She had to shut up_ now..._

He had _no_ time for her monologue and her _rants_ and her _stupid_ speeches!

He was so _sick_ of her voice as hatred filled his veins, his body burning with his aura as threw his shield into her face all of a sudden, pushing her back against the nearby wall as Steven charged forward, keeping the edge of the sword by her neck. She tried to wrench herself free from his grip, but his arm kept her in place and not matter how much she squirmed, she would not be able to wrench herself free from the immense weight he had put on her. She tried not to show fear, but it was all in her eyes that were swallowing the intense light of Steven's aura within them that put displaced her courage entirely.

"I will _kill_ you if you want me too Jasper." He threatened with a much more darker tone than what he used with Rhodonite.

Jasper thought the last time he did this was bad enough. This was the complete opposite of she had expected from Seven One Nine.

"I'm not afraid of you. Because I'm not the boy you threw into Arena Matches constantly as your Champion. No...I serve a new Master now and Their name is Gaia."

It was then he started kicking her toes...just like how she used to do to him on a near daily basis.

"Forged as an almighty weapon to serve Their purpose. I am Their sword. I am Their shield. I am the voice of Gaia and They are telling me...to tell you...to disband the Warriors...free the humans...because if I see another dead body in those streets..."

He stopped kicking her and raised his arm to her neck, choking her by pushing it against her throat. Even the sword began to gleam under his power.

"Even a _single_ dead body, you better believe I will be coming for you because when I'm done with Queen Pink, I won't give you a third chance. Do I make myself clear, Captain?"

By this point, Jasper was outright terrified as tears began to run down her face, as she choked under his pressure. He had to ask again.

"_DO I MAKE **MYSELF** CLEAR???_" He roared, rumbling the entire room under his influence as everyone else tried hard not to trip over from the tremors.

Jasper quickly made a hasty nod, trying hard to answer him without using words. He let her go, begrudgingly, because Steven did not believe Jasper deserved to live. Not after all he had been through with her. With what mercy he could provide was on extremely fragile bonds right now. Jasper fell to the ground as she tried to get her breath back, her hair covering her face. Ocean and Biggs didn't know what do as their Captain sat there, humiliated for the second time. He heard her inhale through her sniffling nose in an attempt to compose herself. As much as he wanted to stomp her into gemdust right now, he collected the last remaining bits of his patience that could find, waiting, watching as Jasper stood back and flicked her long mane behind her head once again. Eyes closed and lips pursed tightly, Steven awaited her next move.

"Well, you heard him." She said, throwing fists on either side of her thighs, pretending to be aloof about it. Typical Jasper.

"Get them out!"

The two nodded in sync as they ran down the nearby hallway to head back to Compound itself. As for Jasper, she looked at Steven one last time...he dared her to comment or make word that would make him forget what he had told her. Though her following words struck Steven to his core more so than ever.

"You really are the Rage of Gaia." She said, before she stormed off.

As Jasper left, Steven felt the twinge of relief that that was finally over, he turned to Pearl, who had been left wide eyed and shocked at Steven's display. She wasn't shaking however...no fear was on her terms even as she posed like a Maiden would. Steven couldn't think of much else, other than the burn off from his fury against Jasper and knowing that would never bother them ever again. She now knows it would be outright suicide. Steven walked past Pearl as he begun to walk up the spiral steps and was eager to see the inevitable on the other side.

Meanwhile Pearl brought out her book, in case Steven needed assistance with the spells again and followed him up them in complete silence...

As Steven already could see Pinks Throne begin to appear in the Abandoned House.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pearl is definitely an influence. One of many.  
All the Gods are Genderless btw. They are...above Gender.


	45. The Fourth Compound Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven finally meets Queen Pink

His dad used to tell him tales about Queen Pink, things that he had learned from Rose. About how careless and spoiled she was...and about how she was just a brat among the rest. When Steven was old enough for when he was first taken by Jasper and thrown in into the Arena, his contempt for Pink only grew. Despite how sparingly he'd even seen her, witnessing the Warriors atrocities had Steven surmise all the deepened hatred he had for her. It was hard for him to hate anyone just as much as she who lacked compassion, who lacked empathy and responsibility. 

It was common knowledge among the Community, although her withdrawn nature and lack of sighting in the general public being born out of a depressive state since Rose had stolen the Knights of Gaia from under her was new information. Why no one had told him this before hand was anyone's guess...but it did not give her the excuse for the neglect over her own people. But Gems had their own rules over the hapless humans. Steven would have held more distaste, if he wasn't part Gem.

Being raised by a human, Steven didn't think himself different from everyone else. Lying in bed by the mellow glows of candlelight in his youth, on some nights his father would tell him those stories, fictional and non-fictional. About oceans. About the sun and the rain and about the snow...the world once belonged the realms of colour, only to be stolen. Fairy tales to those who wouldn't think otherwise. Steven had yearned to see such beauties of the World of Before.

He didn't have the heart to dislike Gems and not necessarily because he was part Gem. If it wasn't for his father, it would have been more likely that he would have brought war on all of them...but...the figure of his mother remained in his heart, the picture of her on the wall had him gunning for hope, the miracle of the power granted to him in the glimmer on his stomach...a sparkle in the otherwise unremarkable barren seas of dust.

But even so, hate would still fester for those whom he had grown to loathe over time...Captain Jasper, testing him time and time again on those records of her kicking him, punching him, causing blood to spilled that he would rather be his than anyone else he'd come to care for and letting Jasper have the full brunt of his fury, as she clearly did not learn her lesson from him beating her into dirt again. The look of fear in her eyes was something he'd never seen her have before, so he wondered if that would have been the last moment she would dare to test him again, but he placed doubt in the idea that he'd never see her again either. She's welcome to try, but the next time, if once he was done with Queen Pink, he would no longer have the mercy or patience to spare his own hand on her, knowing full well what the horizon had in store for him, that he would sooner see her demise before his own. That much, he knew.

For now, as he stood before the two big white wooden doors with the Pink Diamond markings, he looked at Pearl, whom had been standing there with her hands behind her back, awaiting for Steven's next move.

He didn't forget the spell...trying to recite it over and over again in his head. His priority was to first shut Queen Pink up as Pearl had suggested. He couldn't remember how long he had been standing there and Pearl said nothing, but her eyes were on him, watching, anticipating. Steven had waited for this day, but he imagined his mother would have waited much longer and so steeled his resolve and ensured that this wasn't going to be in haste. In his mind, Queen Pink deserved the longest drawn out death possible, but the pity within his mind kept telling him to make it quick and painless and as Queen Yellow had established, to put her out of her apparent misery. He had to tell himself, not to underestimate her either...so all the thoughts with dangled threads had to be left behind to allow the internal mutterings in his head to remain, so he had do this quickly.

Steven had the sword on his back and Pearl's white book in his hand. He took a deep breath, commanding Pearl to open the door.

It was time.

She slammed the doors open, to reveal the decrepit Court Room of Queen Pink. It was like something out of medieval stories; grey stone pillars with faded and torn pink curtains between them. The floor was a mix of light pink and white tiles, broken and scratch like there had just been a fight. The walls were a stained white and a bit of a whistle came in from a nearby hall in the wall, a result of the the gusting winds on the exterior. Wall mounted Candles in golden holders were lit all around but the room was still relatively low in terms of how much light was spread across. It smelled worse than the outside world...stale and musty that Steven almost sneezed and the hint of the candles burning was the aftertaste. A giant pink throne that had a tall triangle at the back that shot up to the tall roof had a huge diagonal crack in it...and in the chair sat a lonely individual wrapped in the darkest red cloak and hood that all but obscured the bottom half of her pink face with tiny, decorated in red, lips and hands that had their small pink fingers grasping the edges of the armrests. The ends of her cloak slumped over the edge of the chair itself, as the giant seat made her seem smaller than she actually was.

"Oh...so the _fated_ one comes in at _last_..." She said, her voice cracked, lifeless and soft but he could hear the slice of mischief with her tone. It almost like, she was mocking him in a pompous way.

"Steven use the spell now!" Pearl ordered, strongly as a direct contrast to the Diamond Queen.

He was about to, but then it came to him. This had been the first time anyone had really spoken to Queen Pink directly and not by any of her proxies. This would be the only time he would even get to hear her and already, there was a defeatedness in her...the way inevitability was predicted in her own shortcomings that she herself knew that he was coming. And it wouldn't have just been because of her hearing her sisters own demise.

"Pearl wait, I want to talk to her first." He said.

Pearl didn't seem pleased, irritation written on her face.

"Steven you don't have to listen to what she has to say." She pointed out, pulling out her spear.

"She needs to die now! Use the spell!"

He wasn't in the mood to entertain anyone but right now, he was in command. Not she. He glared at her, using the same, punishing stare he used when she was mistreating Connie.

"No Pearl, I want to talk to her. I've been wanting her audience for years and now we have it." He claimed.

The Maiden's face went blue with her own rage, not liking the fact that Steven was basically not doing what he was supposed to do, but he wouldn't give, so she said nothing further to agitate him, standing back but her stance of how displeased she was was very noticeable. So Steven turned back to the hapless Pink, trying to rummage up a few questions out of the several hundred he had been wanting to ask her for years. Queen Pink leaned forward, digging her elbows into her lap as she interlaced her fingers together, with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Seven One Nine. Your _loyalty_ to your Compound is well known. You _deserve_ to know every inch of the truth and then some." Pink said, smirking as her attention was brought to Pearl, then back to Steven.

This was nothing to do with loyalty. She claimed to know his arrival, but of course, she kept herself there, thinking that she had some kind of advantage over this situation. How the Diamonds would always lord over their ways; thinking themselves above everyone else.

"You never cared about us." He said.

"Perhaps nothing I will say or do will ever get to you in a sense that will have you regret the things you have done. If you even felt regret, I think you would have done something about it a long time ago...and for that, I do not have any fabric of sympathy left for you either."

Pink laughed.

"The young hybrid has been taught well." She said, adjusting herself as she had one hand on her hip and her head on leaning in the palm of her hand as she continued to lean over and examine Steven with that content mug of hers. How she was getting any satisfaction out of this was beyond Steven's understanding.

"Arena battles get _boring_ after a while. The same _chaos_ pitted against itself time and time again. It's good to have drama once in a while to _spice_ things up."

And she didn't care about Blue or Yellow's deaths? Steven should have expected that, given how he'd known what not expect from her by this point.

"Your little bit of necromancy was...._surprising._..and that aftermath...ooof...so many _dead._..because of you."

He swallowed. She....she wasn't wrong...Steven could admit that. He looked to the ground, flashing back to that horrible event. He could hear Pearl telling him something, but for the zone Steven found himself in all of a sudden, surrounded in flames, turned her cries to him to complete muffles. He couldn't understand her...he wasn't focused. He wasn't there, his mind only tuning to the screams of burning ghosts...and how they surrounded him. He didn't want to be here...and he wasn't here for Pink to put him down like that. He shook his head and tried to get his grip back to reality where he was supposed to be.

"No...you-you allowed many more to die!" He said, though using numbers against her was considered heartless in his head and made him ashamed to make the comparisons, even if it was true. More died under her rule than he did that day, but running everyone under a statistic? Steven already found himself disgusted by such a thought. Pink knew this and snorted, her back bobbing as she snickered.

"_Maybe_ I did..." Pink admitted.

"And _maybe_ I am _tired_ on sitting on this throne for goodness knows how long. I've lost track. But haven't we all? This Paradise called Limbo...forever as a shroud of eternity."

The way she was treating this was getting to Steven's skin too quickly. 

"Oh and don't forget the _stench_ of humans...they...smell _better_ cooked...but that's just me."

His fingers began to twitch, feeling the boil of Queen Pink's words rising him up. She was much worse than Jasper and that was saying something. Her aura was powerful enough even from her stance, Steven sensing her power even at its lowest point, like she was daring him to attack her. Still, he didn't need the spell; he had the Rage of Gaia as he unsheathed it, pointing its it end to Pink.

"Queen Pink, I had been debating the best way to kill you." He said in the coldest way possible; his voice low and deep.

"Whether not I wanted you to die quickly or with the most agonising pain imaginable. You deserve the latter far more than the former, but...my mother, through my father, would not want me to stoop as low as to go the long way around problems like this. So....tell me...when do you want this to end?"

It was then she shifted herself off the chair, jumping off and slowly making her way towards Steven. She slowly shifted her hood off and revealed her face to him. She was much taller than him, but still tiny compared to her sister Queens. Her hair was poofy, a deep magenta with matching coloured out eyes, with her mascara drawn underneath them as three lines spread from her eyes to around her cheeks, her normal skin lighter pink. Pearl stepped back, put her palms together and lowered her head, but Steven stood his ground. He didn't care about what she looked liked; her actions had nothing to do with her appearance. Though, it did still surprise him...he never knew what she really looked like until just now. The way she smiled and her eyelids half down...spoke of a unsteady manic type of insanity Steven had seen before in some Gems. He didn't want to be terrified, but he was more unsettled by her than anything.

She'd taken up the tip of the sword to her neck and continued to hold the relaxed expression and responding grin, lifting her chin to allow the point to get to near the skin without touching it.

"A _long_ game ends when you've got nothing left to spare." She said.

"All your pieces are gone and the only thing left to do admit defeat..."

Talking about Rose again.

"Your mother taught me that. Did you know?"

Steven blinked. His mother? A whirlwind of contradictions played havoc with his heart and his head. Was this the perfect occasion to indulge? His heart did a blackflip, in ways that his own emotions were twisted up within himself.

"Were you close?" He asked...his apparent anger replaced by a curiousness. Knowing her history with Queen Pink was one for the ages. Rose had gone up the ranks to be by Queen Pinks side as the leader of the Quartz Warriors...only to betray her to lead the glory of the Gaian Knights and the Crystal Priestesses. How did Pink really feel about that? It didn't seem like she was angry with his mother nor was she upset. How much grief and despair did Pink go through after all these years? Enough to turn her crazy?

Pink smiled fondly. That was his answer.

"The Captain? Oh _yes_...she was a wonder. Cunning unmatched, the other Diamonds envied I'm sure...for me? Let's say I_ admired_ her."

And yet, for what Rose did, apparently had Pink in a stupor...and Steven actually fit the twinge of pity for Pink, despite the fact that he had sworn himself that he wouldn't.

"And now, you hold the most prized weapon in this Court. A weapon, I have not seen for many ages. It is befitting that you slay me with this...irony tastes so _good_...so it's not a boring death in the _slightest_."

To anyone else, Pink making it easier would have been the cakewalk acceptable to move on, to carry it out with such a simplicity that no one would question. The fact it was this easy, had Steven very puzzled that Pink was not just anticipating it, but she was welcoming it. Was it now that she was feeling that bit of regret, doubt? Steven was questioning why she was allowing to do so, when the other two Diamonds put up a much better fight. He was prepared for strenuous battle, even if he did cast the spell.

"But you know, I was kind of imagining it was her on the other end of this blade, holding it here and you...have her spark..yes, I see it so clearly, in your eyes...the _irrefutable_ influx of energy that pours through them as if she was staring right at me at this very moment. Your words are hers. Your Pearl, hers...you stand in the very room where she once stood, by my side. No Gem would question your glory as they never questioned hers. No one questioned the most _charismatic_ Gem of them all..."

And the power behind her words had her obviously taking the authority over Pink. No wonder she was so successful in that type of revolution, carving the path for recovery. Steven lowered his sword, unconsciously fascinated in what Pink had to say...and it was clear she'd been wanting to talk to someone for ages...the way she fawned and she spoke, weaving tales she's desired to tell to someone, anyone that would listen; maybe even a friend in this lonely existence. Youth, forgotten...taken away...subjected to the torments of being alone in this place...subjected by only the tiniest cracks of light. How did Pink benefit from all of this? The conditions were awful for as much as her human subjects were. The Compounds were designed to be like the mindsets of their Diamond Rulers. Refreshing and clean, strict and structured...and this? Dirty and broken, like a toy left half deep in the sand for decades.

"I see now, more so...that the questions I have been wanting to ask her...had I _dared_ to...no, no...wait...dare is _not_ the right word. Forget I said that." She said, staring at Pearl's beleaguered face, before she looked back at Steven.

"You wanted to know why she betrayed you? Because she didn't like the way that you were treating the Compoundees? Isn't that the obvious answer?" Steven stated, uncertain of the direction Pink was trying to take.

Pink chuckled.

"Oh my...no...not _that_..." She said bashfully with a flirtatious giggle.

What was it then?"

"Ah but I can ask you, however...yes...no....maybe you _are_ the answer after all...the last_ spare_...so even in her own sacrifice she did _not_ want to admit defeat on a technicality. For she was stubborn...fearless in the face of the _other_ Diamonds wrath...and you've become that legacy I see...being written as part of the eternal echoes of history. The winds that carried her valour, her power. As like the sun that was the most _beautiful_ thing to see...and the moon...and the stars; those she had longed to see again..."

Queen Pink seemed more...fond of the past in retrospect compared to the other Diamonds. Her love for her subject, noted...and it still made Steven doubt as to how Pink could have never been convinced to turn against her sisters...the more Steven thought about it, it was clear that Pink wanted to, she would have listened to her Captain and lead a charge against the other Compounds and maybe, just maybe put into a place a plan to restore the world to its former glory. So why didn't she? Was what Steven wanted to know more so now that Pink had gone into some rather revealing details. He's known her more now these last few minutes, then any other time in his own short life. So many parts didn't add up however. 

"Don't you miss them too?" He asked.

"You took that all away which made this planet beautiful. I might not have seen what it was like but..."

Pink grinned, as tears fell from her cheeks. Everything Steven knew was only from pictures and by word of mouth.

"I miss....a lot of things from Before. I..."

It was then as Pink's lips moved, no more words emerged from them. She continued to talk, but Steven could hear nothing. Pink noticed this and kept trying. Steven looked around, then looked at Pearl whom had been glaring at Pink. Steven couldn't believe it.

"You told me you couldn't cast the spell?" He retorted. Pink was confused as she held her hands together, looking on in complete sorrow.

"I said it wouldn't last long." Pearl said, her voice lacking any kind of care to it, dull with inflection, but telling in execution.

"And you just couldn't resist talking to her. I gave you the chance to get it over and done with...but now...you feel for this...deplorable Gem."

Steven still held the sword in his right hand, but felt his cheek...and could see the drop of water on the edge of his middle finger. She was not wrong...he looked at Pink, whom looked desperate to talk further with him, her hands in prayer, pleading for him to intervene. Pearl was right in a way...this was Queen Pink; this was the Queen he loathed the most out of all of them and her charm had worked its way into his heart, temporarily soothing his previous parchments of anger hanging off his back. She had her words...and the compassion that had been locked away within due to how...awful, how hateful Steven had become...made him reflect on so much that happened over the last few hours...

She wanted to die. This Diamond...of which had seen and experienced much more outside of what Steven could imagine. She was there before the Faded. She knew the World of Colour, perhaps so vividly...so brilliantly.

"Give me the Sword Steven. If you can't do the deed, I will do it for you." Pearl continued in the most polite, but patience-bending way, raising her hand at him. She was but cold as ice in comparison in her formation, frigid and disciplined.

He would have, if he had felt and heard the hiss in his head with the flashing colours before his eyes...he looked down, sensing a power from the Sword itself...like it was telling him not to. A wave of intense rainbows, uncontrolled but free.

"No." He said bluntly, much to Pearls subtle dismay.

Maybe he had gone insane. After all these years. Hurt, punished, bashed, scarred, stabbed, scorched, electrocuted...years of fighting...and the loneliness that the only part Steven could feel worth living for only one he could really trust with his own heart. But what does one do, when even his own feelings were put to the sword?

Unsaid reasons for doubt; Peridot had told him to question Pearl and now Bismuth was doing the same; given him a message he could not read or understand. He'd have to give the line of questioning to her at some point, but how would be the one to ask himself by this point. Steven knew, for absolute certain and no matter how much it was now tearing him up inside by the exact premise, was that indeed, he would have to kill Pink. It was the only way through this for sure. With inhaling as much into his lungs, Steven had to remain steadfast in the face of his internal adversity (and Pearls eagerness to get this completed as required) and recovered what resolve he could, saving face and acknowledging that certain parts to this had to be completed no matter what. A mistake, corrected.

"Pink...not matter what you...could have said...I think you _do_ see the error of your ways. The Unforgiving Sin was an act, in which you played a part in committing. To save this world, you must die." He said to her. She'd fallen to her knees and still had her head up high with pride. She was ready for this....saying that she would welcome it, but that had changed. She was just as saddened and her stance had been warped completely. He put his sword up to her neck again and his hesitation had him linger there for a moment, as if awaiting some miracle to tell him to stop what he was doing, knowing that he wanted the voices to tell him what he was doing was in fact, incorrect and that killed Pink was not the solution they all thought it would be. Blue, Yellow...easy. Pink?

The Pink Compound had been his home and all he had ever known for many years. And her word relayed to her servants, those would be her Will out in force on the streets of the Fourth, it harboured a sheltering requirement to protect it. He could have adored Pink, had she listened to his mother and she might have even agreed. She had the potential, to go against her sisters but instead, chose to become ignorant of everything around her, lost in the memories of better times...nostalgia was her poison. For all Steven could imagine that Pink loved his mother like everyone else did. She made her mark on the Gaian Knights and made her mark on the Diamonds as an infamous icon. He'll never know the answers now, but then again, Steven didn't have nostalgia as his poison.

His poison was right next to him, even if he didn't know it yet.

And deep within those magenta eyes was still a potent spark of something else entirely, adding more doubt to his cause. Pink was not innocent. But perhaps, mistaken? Misunderstood? Mistreated? Manipulated?

Manipulated. It had to have been that. The right word...as she did not want say dare...and she couldn't dare herself to care...she couldn't afford to. The neglect, the internal sorrow within her being that was born from the greatest forms of regret that maybe ignorance as indeed bliss and that hiding away was the only way she could really cope with it all...not wanting to rule anymore than necessary. Steven could wait it out until Pearl's spell ceased...but...he gritted his teeth and muttered underneath his breath.

"I...am _sorry_." He said, struggling to hold back his own tears.

Even if Steven couldn't hear her say it, he could read it from her lips.

"_Me too_." She mouthed, before she looked at Pearl again.

It was then Steven pulled his blade back, as it charged with pink energies and glowing underneath its magic influence, and swiped diagonally on Pink's neck. Her head, her still smiling and crying head slid away, before her entire body poofed in one go.

Steven sheathed his sword, his heart aching as his eyes locked onto the lump in the fallen red cloak. Pearl walked up to it and pulled out Pink's Gem and bubbled it. Compared to the other Diamonds, this was one was in the shape of a _heart_, which Steven thought was the most odd. Then again, Pink was the most, if he dared say, endearing one besides the other Diamonds. He wanted to ask Pearl's opinion on his theory on whether or not Pink was roped into doing the sin with the other Diamonds, but her apparent mode right now was a mixture of relief and irritation, so Steven in the end, said nothing of the sort.

He could get why Pearl wanted this over and done with. How she knew Steven would get attached was the matter of Pink's hidden depths. The sides of her that no one ever got to see.

"I told you I served a Gem Noble while I was here." Pearl explained as she examined Pink's Gem in the bubble.

"What ever...Pink just told you...a lie...I know she was a good actress...before Rose took the Gaian Knights, the Court that was in session was constantly in the mess of Nobles always throwing parties. They would abuse us Maidens on the daily, telling us to perform, often throwing their beverages at us. Just as humans get drunk, there's a Gem equivalent that used to be distributed and brought in from the Blue Compound known as Wavebreaker. You do not want to know what obscenities they said, the names they called us and the way some Nobles would approach lesser gems and even bring in humans to entertain them. Pink would pretend to be interested and treat them like they were the most important people in the world; a master of stories. Before she ended up...well, let's not go visit some unpleasant and explicit details but let's just say she was vulgar, addicted to Wavebreaker and would...no I'm not going to say...no you don't need to hear it. Only that she did horrible acts with people."

Steven could only stare blankly at Pearl, at a total perception of disbelief in her words. Was she really that horrible? Pearl was a witness after all. Steven shouldn't have been trying to justify her actions...that maybe she shouldn't be forgiven at all, just like hadn't forgiven the others. He hated feeling this way...the awkward direction of what he was feeling and what he should be feeling...

And with Pearl's admission, he's heard of Wavebreaker before from Jenny. An extremely rare drink these days and one of the most expensive. He could honestly go for a few right now himself and wondered if Jenny's family still possessed some. But it only proved Steven's theory correct...Pink must have held plenty of guilt from the Sin which drove her to more despicable ones from the sounds of it. One drinks ones sorrows away and more than once, his Dad had come home wasted after a night out. But never outright being horrible, mostly at times where Steven would wake up from the front door slamming wide open to when his Dad would go into his bedroom and would cry himself to sleep. Evidence enough of how the cold realities of living like this affected people. Speaking as such.

"Pearl, I'm going to see my Dad before we leave." He said.

"I know we need to conduct the ritual and we need to do it soon. We need to announce her demise properly however...these people need to know that the tyranny is over now and that they are now free."

Pearl nodded in understanding. It looked like she was no longer had any problems going from how calm she was right now.

"Of course Steven. I must apologise for rushing you like I did. I know my behaviour was unacceptable." She said.

He could get her anger against Pink more so. It didn't excuse Pearl anymore than it excused Pink. But Pearl accepting the fact of what she did was wrong and that she didn't trust Steven to do what he had to. Maybe she was right however, that he could have indeed done it...all the work he had put into remembering the spell and he never got to use it. He was more annoyed at himself for letting Pink rant and that maybe, what she was saying was complete bullshit to begin with. But her words sounded so...genuine too...

"No I'm sorry Pearl." He said.

"I should have used the Code when you told me too. But I..."

She put the bubble in her own Gem first as she approached Steven, taking her hands into his as she smiled. It was jarring on how Pearl could contrast so well between a gentle flower like softness to the hardness of a strict Diamond. Reminded him of Connie in a bizarre way. He missed her greatly.

"I let my grievances take control of me. But I suppose you wanted to know more about Pink herself. After all, no one has spoken to her like this for years. Us reaching this far at all is a definite tell in the greatest change you'll ever get to make. Even if what Pink said was true, it goes to show that your mothers influence was wide spread and that you too, have the influence. She would be proud of you anyway." She explained, running her thumb over his fingers.

Steven gave a soft grin. It was important to take control of their apparent anger on the Diamonds. It was noted that their emotions could get the better of them and Steven and Pearl had to take better reigns over their own. It was difficult, on how natural and easy it felt to him to be enraged more so...those years trapped with their own unchecked emotions now taking their toll.

"But we have a lot of work to do before we can head back to the Temple. I surmise a few days in this location for, well, announcements, clean ups and following up on 'unfinished work' is required....so yes, we have a number of things to do here it seems so let us not delay this any further."

In that, Steven could agree.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the temple, a single yellow rose had begun to bloom in Steven's Garden.


	46. Retribution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celebrations are under way, though Steven begins to worry about other things...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhh...Pearl gets a little too creepy in this chapter btw.

After the chaos erupted about Pink's defeat, it would seem there was a distinct lack of caring on the front of those around them. The Tower was empty save for a minor skeleton crew of guards. The atmosphere of where they did not change; the empty and still void of eternal loneliness, the stench of dust and dirt and upon exiting, the sky still cloudy, the winds still howling with the slightest of whistles. The weight of dread only lifted ever so slightly.

Queen Pink's relationship with her Compound was never really popular with the Compoundees or the Gems that served within. Her demise would certainly be embraced by some but not all, but either way, Steven could finally lay the foundations for life to become much better for here on in.

Pearl was the first to communicate the news, boasting that Queen Pink was no more and that Compound Four had be liberated just like Two and Three had been and that they were free from the shackles of this horrible place and were now able to restore their lives to a decent level. She'd spread it from Gem to Gem and Human to Human, while Steven himself resorted to visiting his father again on his own while Pearl happily went around to spread the gospel. The door which had once been familiar to him in his youth, now became nothing more that the save for nostalgia. Steven must have stood in front of the door for some time, before he had the courage to knock.

Time slowed down briefly as door opened. His father stood there as his expressions went through the motions. Wide eyed shock, eyes looking up and down in disbelief...a cracked smile as water gather around his eyes...his lips quivering in anticipation as arms were wrapped around torsos. Fingers dug into backs as the two gripped each other in the tightest, desperate hug they could create. Father and Son...together again after so long spent apart due to complicated circumstances. Eventually the two parted, Steven patting his fathers back to tell him to let go. His father stood back and wiped a tear with his index finger, but the smile never wore off as he welcomed Steven back inside is home again.

They sat at the coffee table and talked for hours about Steven's adventures even since he'd fled the Compound. Fighting monsters, finding Micro-Temples, meeting Connie, fighting more monsters, fighting Jasper, fusing with Connie (a fact his father was both shocked and pleasantly surprised about) and finding the Temple of Obsidian and meeting the Crystal Priestesses; the place and group that they had been looking for years. Steven continued to blabber on with exuberance, going on from how they went to collecting the Precursor Relics and meeting Connie's parents, saving them from a group of Quartz Warriors and an Aquamarine whom had been trying to interrogate them for information, as her parents were members of the Knights of Gaia; her mother specifically a Witch Doctor.

His father expressed his further shock as Steven informed that it was he, with some help, whom had defeated three of the Diamond Queens so far and that he was due to head back to the Temple of Obsidian tomorrow with Pearl so they could conduct the ritual to destroy her properly. Anxiousness was written in his fathers wrinkles but otherwise he said nothing further on the topic, instead diverging into Connie and wanting to know what the girl was like. Steven blushed, rubbing his neck in nerve as he told his father how he adored Connie and that her companionship had meant so much to him these last...few months. Now that he thought about it, it had almost been a year since they had met. It made it seem like they had only met each other yesterday.

Meeting Rose was the same. The same adventures as Priestess and Acolyte...roaming the Dead World in search of artefacts and constructing the Micro-Temples for the lost to be found...and to be found when lost...and so his father saw a lot of themselves in Steven and Connie and would love to meet Connie one day. Steven couldn't wait; ever since leaving the Compound he had sworn to himself to bring his father back and to let him have all the luxury he deserved...and then some. He was about to tell his father about the fact that he was going to go on the last leg at some point...but Steven didn't know, didn't have the heart to tell his father, the humble Greg, that his only son was going to die and going from the reaction upon that glance, had Steven feel conflicted over telling him...just like how he hesitated in telling Connie. He was fighting for everyone now...and Steven couldn't give up just yet. Not until the last Queen falls to him.

Eventually, someone had come to the door to invite Steven and Greg to the Mansion of Rations; as the Patriarch; Jenny's father, had accosted a party of sorts, celebrating the Compounds new freedom.

* * *

Once they arrived, they could see Jenny at the entrance as she hugged both of them. It was weird to see, since the last time he'd argued with Jenny over their current connections with Gems. But she let them in anyway. Opening the big brown mansion doors, Steven and his father were in for a spectacular sight; Humans...and Gems..everywhere and were intermingling, socialising.._.laughing_.... A sight Steven had been trying so hard to envision but seeing this made every sacrifice worth it. Rations were spread more so...drinks and and the like, brought up from the basement. Including the famous Wavebreaker.

Quartzs Warriors talking with humans like it was an everyday thing. It made it seem, like getting rid of Pink had lifted another curse, although. Seeing so many people in one place, the energy of the room so warm and inviting, had Greg almost cry at the sight. He said some Gems absolutely hated their jobs and hid their friendships from some of the higher ups, lest those Gems get punished themselves. Some Warriors Steven recognised...Ocean and Biggs and they so...casual...jovial...for lackeys they weren't exactly the most formal when it came to their duties so Steven in hindsight should have expected it.

It to Steven that much had to be done in order to improve lives here and was about to ask his father a question, until he caught Greg staring at another individual across the room and the sea of people and gems; his expression was blank, as Steven followed the trail to reveal the wide eyed Pearl. Greg excused himself quickly, wanting to talk to someone else as he walked off. Confused, Steven furrowed his brows and watched his father lose himself in the crowd. He then felt Pearls hand in his, as she took him out the back.

So much chatter; Steven wasn't used to it, so he was glad Pearl brought him out. The backyard was just as Steven remembered, although it was a bit smaller. Leaning on the balcony ledge, he remembered being a kid again and running around with Kiki in the maze garden...while it was well kept by groundskeeper, the leaves were still the same brown on the hedges which were shorter than Steven recalled. But the white concrete paths, cracked from age, their imaginations wild in their games for two...and picturing in their head about bees and birds that would fly around them. If only they were real...and not just pictures in story books. The white lamps with broken glass were lit as it created a warmer glow to the evening as it had begun to get a little dark.

"Kiki and I would play out here for hours." Steven told Pearl, a nostalgic soft smile adorned his face that suited him so well.

"I was hoping, that one day we'll be able to turn those hedges green in her honor...so that future generations will be able to play the same way we did."

Beauty on see in pictures...the desired smell of freshness only found in the magical Temple of Obsidian, but Steven knew these would be real. Realer than anything. Properly tended, looked after. Now knowing what proper flora green looked like, he could now properly envision what this place would like like with the mythical sun and rain to cast their natural flowing magic upon it.

"Your mother loved Gardens." Pearl told him, her hands on her chest. She eyed his hand and put one of hers on top, her motivations two fold.

"You will restore this world. You have only one Queen left and we can leave this all behind us."

He certainly hoped so. It was so close he could taste it.

"Oh there you are."

Turning around, they could see Rhodonite of all people, approaching them. Though she wasn't wearing her cloak this time, letting herself well known to her status.

"My I have...underestimated you greatly, Crystal Priest. I've been meaning to have a talk with you...it's about the Light of Psyche."

White's Weapon and Precursor Relic...seemingly the last piece they needed. While they would have to do the ritual to prepare for Pink, they still had to find the last Relic they required in order to shut down the infamous Queen White for good. Compound White, the first one, was mysterious to all the other ones and so they had to least amount of info on that place. Which meant, once they had retrieved the light, that they were need to retreat back to the Temple to find out more about it. Finding the data for the other two was hard enough but Amethyst's Library so far had come back up with nothing.

Was Steven scared? A little bit. Should he be? Maybe. There wasn't distinct fear with the other Queens so far, so why should he be afraid of White?

"You know where it is?" Steven asked.

Rhodonite nodded.

"I told you the Tower and the outlying extensions have many rooms. Majority of them shut. One of them has opened."

Of course! That the access to the Light of Psyche would be granted to them upon Queen Pink's defeat, although, she hadn't been destroyed however...so how was that possible? He turned to Pearl for answers.

"Don't we have to conduct the ritual first?" Steven queried.

Rhodonite and Pearl exchanged glances, the latter becoming unnerved. This was a tricky spot for her, as her lips wanted to be sealed, but otherwise she had to think of something to divert the conversation.

"Uh yes we do!" She exclaimed.

"However, I believe...Queen Pinks ritual is a bit....different to the others. I will need to discuss this with our friend here. Why don't you head on inside Steven? Join the others whom have been wanting to speak to you!"

He didn't doubt that. Whether or not they were happy to see him was another thing entirely.

"Uh yeah sure...grab when you need me..." He said, before heading on inside.

* * *

Pearl and Rhodonite stood in their lonesome, but then started to walk the Garden themselves. Rhodonite was the only one who knew how this whole operation worked...and it made Pearl anxious that she was here...and the only other to understand the truth. Whether or not she could trust the fusion had to be dipped out quickly...as Pearl did not want her to spill the beans and going from how hard Pearl had pressing for the end, she analysed Rhodonite's position and she was just too big a risk, fearful of the fusions true loyalties.

"You've become attached to the boy I see." Rhodonite commented dryly.

"I hope when the time comes, your dedication to the cause will not waver."

It was extremely dangerous for Pearl to teeter further in one direction or the other. When it came to Rhodonite, Pearl knew where she had come from; the place that Pearl herself had been created....in actual fact, Pearl just needed her for the next steps and constantly debated within herself what to do with her when the deed was done. Her usefulness was limited and to let her roam free afterwards had to be dealt with.

"My dedication does not need questioning." Pearl answered in the most straightforward manner.

"Steven is not going to be an issue for when the final ritual is conducted."

Words that cause more ire deep within Pearl; festering her already fiery resentment towards the agenda.

"Just like _Rose_ wasn't an issue when she created him?"

An ordeal Pearl would prefer left in the past. She couldn't control Rose. Only direct her. Even so, Rose had eluded her attention just as much...but rightfully so, the way this part was being handled right now...there were only so many lies Pearl could twist before any smart person would figure out what was really going on. 

And falling in love with Rose...and now with Steven...Pearl would not admit that it altered her own desires and results outside of spectrum that she was ordered to conduct. Slipping up now would risk total disaster and an outcome nobody wanted.

"Rose was an intelligent Gem. Smarter than you would think." Pearl continued, not bothering to hide her own irritations.

Rhodonite rose an eyebrow.

"As for the Priestesses Garnet and Amethyst?"

Pearl would say she cared for neither, but obligations and awkward circumstances had her grow somewhat fond for the smaller purple Quartz and her resourcefulness in the field...as for Garnet? She was the hardest to evade thus far, envious of her components stable relationship, but had so being a relatively strong fusion that was worthy of befriending. So where Rhodonites aims were, sent metaphorical bile up her throat.

"_They_ are not a problem at this point." Pearl responded, a little bit too strongly.

But why would she ask about them anyway? They weren't even relevant.

"I've got orders to tie things up as quickly as we can make them. They may not be a problem now, but when the moment arrives...you will realise how many enemies we actually have."

Pearl had known that since the beginning. She was tired of play pretend and unaware of how much of what wasn't real became real in the moments shared...and enemies became friends no matter how hard Pearl pushed them away.

"They'll be too far away from it all!" Pearl told her.

"Once it's over, they can be convinced."

Rhodonite rolled all four of her eyes.

"Convinced? Pearl, you _have_ become too attached to them! Their heads have been filled with false ideologies and unnecessary preaches, meandering on the heretical to save face. The only way they can save their Gems is if they can repent."

Don't talk to Pearl about repenting....she had much to atone for...and seeing Rhodonite act like this...she had no real control of Pearl and her own actions. If Pearl was going to go through with this, then they were going to do it, her way. If Rhodonite didn't like the Pearl acted and how she handled it all, she could shove her opinion down her throat. Provided with everything knew about the Priestesses as well as the Maheswarans...Connie in particular...and the way Pearl planned to shape this the way she would believe would work best in her favour in the end, given how they had seen the endgame to it all, she worked out ways to include Connie as part of Pearls (admittedly selfish) desires.

"It's clear you haven't been out in the fields, among the populace." Pearl told her in an irate fashion.

"A different world it is without the tyranny of the Queens. Many will want to keep it that way."

They could argue about...instead, Rhodonite ended deflecting that conversation and went on to talk about the Diamond Sacrifice. Pearl didn't like the fusion but listened into the plan anyway.

"Indeed. I will not deny that...but now...how are you going to handle the ritual? I presume you put the Silence Spell on the bitch...good grief, serving her had been a complete nightmare. I'm glad this part is finally over at least...." She said...as they went into the details for the next few hours.

* * *

The rest of the night went relatively well into the night. Steven returned to his fathers place and rested in his old bedroom. He had a busy day ahead of him and it had to be done with clear mind. Resting wasn't easy, however. His single bed still had his groove after all this time so it wasn't as if it was entirely uncomfortable. The roof was the same...but...everything just seemed tinier than he could recall it. In the drift his loneliness, he turned...his hand resting on the mattress, spreading his fingers and running over the fabric...gosh, he wanted to share this with Connie so badly...to be here, to show her where he grew up and the dozens of stories he wanted to share. While life in the Compound was rough, there were always the moments Steven would recall that were worth remembering. The links of family, friendship and the fact that Steven had never really been alone while he was here.

His mind traversed the days spent alone in the Dead, dry world. Endless nothingness and the lack of voices...the distinct absence of souls disturbed more than the corrupted Unsaved. Learning so much out there more so than he had learned in this Compound, though he had been taught some important skills.

It really had him thinking...that all of it...all the effort and time spent into developing himself...only to have himself die at the end. Was that the idea of it all? His fathers attitudes suggesting he was doing really well to keep himself together or he had no clue about Rose was planning all along. Greg was an Acolyte, so surely he knew something?

His sleep was disturbed by a knock on the window. Steven drew up the curtains, seeing Pearl tapping her finger on the glass, holding a great big bottle of Wavebreaker in her hand.

Going outside and seeing the strangely blue and rounded opaque tile patterned bottle in hand half empty, it was easy to see that she had been drinking. They sat down on the gutter and shared the drink between them. Steven had no plans to get drunk...only that he was thankful for Pearl for being both a distraction and a being to vent to. His father would have him sit on the roof with him, looking up at the skies and telling tales of how his mother used to tell him about the famous, beautiful moon which had the ability to share its light in the night sky. Not as bright as the sun, but it was still a glorious sphere to behold.

"So...what did you and Rhodonite get up to?" He asked, after taking a swig and handing it back to Pearl.

It was dark, but Steven could get a brief glimpse that she looked awful.

"We...we _talked_ about the ritual...." She said, her words a bit slurred.

She did say Pinks was a bit different compared to the others. He wanted to know more.

"Oh yeah, so...how is this going to be different from the others?"

And why?

"Oh...hih...I uh...let's see...we will not need to use the Rage of Gaia....hih...for one."

Strange. The Sword itself was a Spirit Seal Relic like the others, was it not?

"Do we need something else? Do we have that something else?" Steven queried.

Another swill as Pearl put the bottle on the ground beside her, shuffling herself closer to Steven to look up into his pretty eyes with a droopy smile, putting her hand into his lap, much to his dismay. Her manner and body language were very wishy-washy, her posture unstable as she struggled to keep herself together. Contrasting her usual poise.

"Don't you worry about it....Rhodonite and...hih...I have it all sorted. Riight now, I want you to have me...."

Steven blinked, completely confused about Pearl's mindset right now.

"Uhh...have you?" He asked, trying to shuffle himself away from Pearl whom had been, well, her affection wasn't a massive issue. He welcomed her normal contact but this? Was a bit creepy from his perspective. Pearl's cheeks went a bright blue as she giggled.

"Yes...have me....the same way....you have.....hih...had Connie...many, _many_ times..."

Steven furrowed his brows, really concerned about the Gem now. Wavebreaker was pretty potent, from what Steven could remember. Was it much more potent on Gems than humans perhaps? It was never said.

"And I've cleaned up your messes _overrrr_ and _overrr_ and _overrr._..I _want_ what she_ gets_ from_** you**_."

In that instant, it all became clear as Steven froze and gulped. This was...increasingly impossible to deal with right now. Pearl was off her rocker and asking for him to...well...and he respected Pearl...

"Oh...and I respect you Pearl..." He said.

And he was her friend...

"And I am your friend..."

And his associate and fellow freedom fighter...

"And your associate and fellow freedom fighter..."

But he couldn't....

"But I can't....."

Do this for her.

"Do this to you..."

Pearl shuffled herself closer as she rested her fingers on his arm and gripped it tightly that it caused Steven a tiny bit of pain...she was being a bit...over the top now and overall not acting like her regular self. Once she started to cry, Steven just felt sorry for her...with pity being one of feelings Pearl hated people feeling for her.

"Whyyy _nooot?_ You mean so_ muuuch_ to me Steveeen...and I _haaate_ this...I _haaate_ this place and I hih..._haaate_ this mission...why am I doing _this_?"

Though, it did sound like Pearl had a lot on her mind. Was she doubting their mission to restore the World of Before? It was said inhibitions were often lost in these states and if Pearl was worried about something so badly, then she would never really reveal it while sober. Pearls were hard to crack as what his father said to be him before...and watching out for Pearl became all the more important because of this. He didn't want to break her heart...but this stage, Steven didn't want to lead her on to a false positive idea that she would end up regretting.

"Because...you're not you right now Pearl." He told her.

"You mean a lot to me too...but..."

He honestly did not feel that way about her either. He wanted to protect her just as much as he did for anyone else. It was in his nature, after all.

"Cooomme on....I can tell you anythiiiing you want to know..." She said, sniffing but ending up smiling mischievously. She raised a hand to Steven's ear as she begun to whisper.

"_Like, I know Connie's hiding a biiiiig secret_...."

Connie? No. Why would Connie be hiding something from him? They had nothing to hide from each other....well, except...he pushed her away from him and tried to display a respectable distance.

"Pearl, Connie is Connie. She's got nothing to hide." He said.

Pearl giggled, putting her hands to her mouth, before she trailed a finger up Steven's thigh which had him shiver and shuffle to his side again.

"_Nothing_? Oh..._Steven_...its clear she doesn't trust you then...but you can trust me....and only me..." She told him, her tone outright flirty more so than ever.

All Steven had the grip on is that Pearl was talking absolute nonsense...and blamed Wavebreaker for allowing her to spew it. She shuffled once more, not giving up on her pursuit.

"I served your mother with great delight....and while I had my doubts about youuuu...hmmhmmm...I am glad she's able to create such a wonderful, loving, _strong_ son in her wake...haha...like she made you just for me..."

Somehow Steven doubted that. He really did.

"And secrets I have kept for your mother...and secrets I have kept for countless people...oh if I could only speak of them...this world would be deader than dead...that I am certain..."

A confidant, a collector information, data and anything and everything. Steven understood Pearls pursuit for knowledge and while her design suggested servitude, she had been allow to explore the freedoms of the land granted by the lack of restrictions the Crystal Priestesses had. He never thought Pearl to hold anything so dire and cryptic, and the way she would conjure a lie so fast was alarming...and that she was trying to make it so believable to. He'd been too lost in his head, thinking about what he should do instead of what he should be doing right now, jumping as Pearl started to kiss his neck, the press of her lips on his skin the coldest he's ever felt as he jumped back in retaliation. That was going too far. He watched as Pearl almost fell over, her hands on the side walk as she focused on the concrete. His heart was racing, but not in a good way as he began to breath heavily.

"She made it hard for herself to enforce her rules the same way..." Pearl continued, swaying as she forced herself to sit up right, her focus now on the distance and not anything in particular.

His mom? Surely...rules were put into place for good reason. Some semblance of order had to be maintained...unless she was talking about Queen Pink.

"But I am, at the end of the day, a simple, lowly Pearl...always in the shadows of her master, whom ever that maybe. Because I do know, it's often better, than stepping into their light."

Okay now she was just speaking nonsense. More so than she had been already. Steven had to care of her, but how? There were so many things wrong with what she had been saying so far and it wasn't her fault. Steven knew that. He just didn't know how long it would take until Wavebreaker would be conked out of her systems. Gems were weird like that.

"You...you're not a lowly Pearl." Steven stressed, getting closer to her, as it looked like she was about to trip.

"You're a Crystal Priestess. Meant to bring Justice and Peace to this world...is that not your aim?"

Or titles could be just titles for the sake of them. He blamed Priyanka for that messy belief. It was then Pearl picked up the bottle and took in the rest, before slamming the bottle on the ground, causing Steven to jump back in recoil not expecting that showcase of rage.

"Is there.._.justice_....when one of the secrets...is that Rhodonite is a complete...._traitor_?" She put forth, putting emphasis on numerous hand gestures.

"Is there..._peace_...when all she wants to do...is kill you...."

Kill him? That was a new one....was Pearl telling the truth? Or was this of Wavebreaker's fabrication?

"Pearl if you're being serious with that, please tell me. I can't have people jeopardising our mission...and that includes you."

Tears came down her cheek as she began to sob, before she ended up nodding...

"Yes...she...she was telling me...how...she planned to sell you out to Queen White...Steven, the whole room thing is a trap!"

Wait, so the Light of Psyche wasn't here?

"Okay, I prefer if it was a joke but right now...I think..."

She was right about Pink and the fact that he couldn't silence her earlier...so maybe if he could bring it back and silence Rhodonite before she could do anymore harm.

"Come on, let's get inside. It's not safe."

* * *

Steven took Pearl into his room and closed the door, outright concerned. His Dad was a heavy sleeper and he had a few himself tonight so he wasn't going to be a concern. He sat Pearl down on the bed...offering to her while he would find somewhere else to sleep for the night...the couch was probably the next comfortable. While Gems didn't need to sleep, Wavebreaker could have the potential to knock Gems out after they had a certain amount. But right now, he had to get as much out of her before that occurred. He gripped her shoulders as she wiped her face with the back of her arm as he needed her to focus.

"So...you're saying Rhodonite serves Queen White?" He asked her.

Pearl nodded.

"Yes." She replied softly.

"White sees you now more so than the other Queens are down, that you are too dangerous to be left alive. Rhodonite is one of her assassins and she knew you would come to Pink before she. You have to know she's extremely powerful and influential."

So Steven had been told already. What could they do? Did Pearl have any ideas?

"We can still conduct the ritual without her." He said. But he put forth a proposition anyone that he knew could potentially work as it had.

"But here's what we can do. I'll cast the Code Spell to silence her and we take Rhodonite down as soon as she takes us to the room. It wouldn't matter if the room is fake or not. It would get her out of the picture. Does that sound solid to you?"

Pearl nodded again and smiled through the waterfall of her own making.

"Yes...that...that sounds solid to me. I don't...I don't want anything to happen to you. You're the only one she left behind worth of any value to us. You will be our savior."

He doubted that, but he appreciated the compliment anyway, given on how much she cared about his mother as well.

"We haven't won yet but thank you. You are a valued member of our family as well. Now...I'll be..."

As Steven said that, he had begun to leave, only Pearl to tug on his sleeve. His words of calling her family had her more messed up than before...she couldn't be left alone here with her tired, ragged thoughts to talk to.

"Please don't leave me...I...promise not to do any funny business...so let me warm you for the night...I...I just want to at least feel what Connie feels when she lies next to you...and that will be all I will need and I will not ask for it again...pretty please?"

Steven had his hand on the door knob ready to turn it. When his mother created him to unite Humans and Gems he didn't think this was what she had in mind. But as Steven looked into those glistening, cyan eyes, how could he say no? As long as she kept her hands in appropriate locations then he would allow it. Besides, it's not like he's not woken up next to Amethyst before who's had a bad habit of wandering into his room somehow, sleeping walking apparently to blame as she nestled herself in between Steven and Connie some nights.

Do they sleep walk though?

It didn't matter. Steven took a deep breath. He prayed he wasn't going to get in trouble for this. An innocent night, teaching a gem the benefits of bunking in together to keep warm. Humans would but for a Gem it wouldn't be necessary.

"Alright, alright geez." Steven said as he relented.

"Hop on in...and I will kick you out of the room if you do attempt anything funny, understand?"

Pearl grinned.

"Yes but of course Steven, you have my word."

He hoped one night of discomfort was worth appeasing Pearls drunken wishes...and not end up having an elbow in a gut.


	47. Light of Psyche

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Pearl spend their last day in the Pink Compound on critical follow up duties, as preparations for the next mission are made.

Would it fair to say Steven's period of rest was kind of peaceful?

Resting alongside Connie generated the best kind of sleep. She was there. She was warm. He got the chance to see her smile; his favourite sunrise and sunset. For a long while, waking up had been a chore, taking Steven five to ten minutes of stirring to get out of bed, his half-asleep conscious arguing with his subconscious to get out of bed, since there wasn't a day that had gone by that hadn't had him doing something. For his own survival and for his long term mission. Peering upwards into the sky was he had prepared himself, it was any wonder, whether or not he had slept at all. Same thing, day in and down out in the world of the greys and the browns.

Connie on the other hand, made waking up entirely worth it. Something to look forward to as the day began. The small, minuscule actions and the overall company she provided had been enough for him to know, that she was but thousands, if not millions to fight for, becoming the icon he may have forgotten to protect if she had not come around sooner.

It made him forget he was part Gem, placing the fact that circumstances unbeknown to him that, in the way that would have been told by Garnet, that the Gods had planned for him to meet Connie. A wonderful thought, even if it was true. 

Pearl on the other hand, reminded Steven too much of himself as part Gem and had him almost forget he was part human. She was cold, analytical, judgemental and stern; yearning for more than perfection. Her intake of Wavebreaker beheld a side Steven would have never thought he would see and turned her more human than he had originally envisioned her to be. Drunkenness does bring about unconscionable acts that you would never see people perform while sober...

That night, laying alongside Pearl in his old bed in Compound Four was...very...odd. A tad surreal in a way. He normally wore his yellow boxer shorts and nothing else, lying on the right hand side and Pearl on the left, Steven rested on his side and Pearls back laid flat. He wasn't sure if her eyes were closed the entire time but she was extremely still; not a limb out of place. Steven held a habit of sleeping in a near fetal position, knees bent up slightly, but like any human, positions change.

So the eventuality came, as he woke up the next morning, having rolled onto his stomach with his face sideways to the pillow in the middle of the night. Batting his eyelids a few times, he was met with Pearl with her eyes still closed. He made a silent gasp and had a mini heart attack, in the throws of that temporary amnesia, but didn't panic. She looked like she was in a place soft contentment as Steven froze in the moments after seeing her there. He ended up thwacking his face forward in the pillow, before he forced himself out of bed, pulling back the blanket as he swung his legs across and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes as he yawned.

"Good morning Steven."

A second heart attack. Good grief.

"Oh...P-Pearl...uh...sleep well?" He said, as he turned to face her, seeing her sitting up, her legs shifted and bent to her side. It reminded him too much of Connie as he turned away from Pearl in order to dress himself.

She tapped her lip as she looked around.

"Yes. I am sorry if...oh dear it happened again." She said, her face glowing blue with embarrassment.

Steven cocked an eyebrow.

"Uhh...what do you mean?" He asked.

She shook her head, before rubbing the back of her neck, her eyes watching Steven as he put his shirt on.

"I had one too many. I am so sorry if what I said last night was troubling."

Did she remember? Steven debated on if she recalled telling him about Rhodonite. Her serving White Diamond sounded pretty serious, even when drunk. A Double Agent claiming to work for the Knights...this was definitely serious.

"Don't apologise. It was important." He said.

Steven perceived it to be anyway. Rhodonite being a threat to their mission needed to be dealt with on a straightforward, no nonsense matter. He wasn't going to make the same mistake. Though, should he be sorry for wanting to know the answers that he'd been craving for many years? Pearl didn't understand what it was like to be treated as a pure human. Sure, she was a Maiden and from what she had described, that they have had the potential to be treated far worse than humans ever could. His knowledge on Gems were limited to what he was taught to understand and that was Gems had their own values when it came to what each Gem was created for.

Looking at Pearl, that it came to him, as light would enter his eyes, that maybe this was what his mother valued more so. This kind of...liberation for humanity wasn't exclusive...Gems that chafed under the same rules, would also be set free.

Though the conflict more so would bare much to those at fault and willing to defend the rules that were in place; humans that have lived their entire lives at the mercy of the Queens and thrived on those conditions, accepting what was being said and done as gospel. Rhodonite's willingness to enact the words of her Queen, meant that she was still on the advantage of what White had provided for her. And Pearl, Maiden Pearl, was made to see the light through her own eyes by his mother; the one true believer in another way.

There was always another way.

Before they left, Steven went to talk to his Dad, whom had been up and about. Standing in the kitchen, Steven proposed one thing.

"Once we've done what we needed to do here, you should come to the Temple with us. It's as our home as it yours." Steven offered with open arms, though Pearl stood behind him, keeping a close eye on Greg, whom put up a nervous smile on a strengthened front.

"I would love to." He said.

"But there's a lot work to do be done now that Pink's gone. The Patriarch was saying that he plans to form a Government with humans and Gems to determine what we can do now. Some of the Gems want to make up for what they've done and are willing to share ideas to improve our lives here."

Disappointing but Steven could see the logic in that. It sounded great...and it was hard to determine what he was more; an optimist or an idealist. One of the few rays of hope with a faded community.

"You have to be careful of the other Compounds however." Pearl interrupted as she stood next to Steven with her arms crossed.

"Not everyone agrees with what's been done. And with White now the only Queen left remaining, she'll...want to control the entirety of the other Compounds...and her rules are said to be the strictest of all Queens."

Which was why it was crucial for them to obtain the Light of Psyche and be done with it.

"We'll work it out, like we always have." Greg assured her.

"If it means upping our defences then so be it. Growing up in this place, even if our lives were harsh, there are some more than willing to risk their lives to defend it."

Steven had to admit he was right. He'd grown up here and there was some genuinely good people within it and if he was honest, he would be the same. It had been the only place he'd known since birth and even with seeing the other Compounds and what they were like, there was sentimentality to Compound Four. Improving conditions would be a lot easier now and giving it a few years, they could make it their own paradise rivalling the others. Resources would still need claiming, the only other concern is the the probable fact of the other compounds cutting off supplies to the others; even between Compounds Two and Three, there had to be a type of tension that would warrant the same response, especially Compound Two, which was the most competitive domain.

But as much as Steven didn't like the idea of leaving his father again, it had to be done...and that Steven knowing his potential fate, that this might be the last time he would see his Dad, which tore Steven up inside, being brought to tears as hugged his Dad, with Greg returning the gesture, assuring him that it was going to be alright. He ended up giving his Dad the location to the Temple anyway via a crudely drawn map that, just in case. He deserved it, after all those years in teaching Steven...

* * *

Leaving the premise, Pearl was confused as to why Steven didn't tell his dad what was going on...his words to her back at the Cemetery suggested he found out what was going to happen to him afterwards. Not that it mattered to Pearl personally, but he found it very strange indeed...but the way he cried, suggested much more, as Pearl never mentioned it again.

She'd spent most of the previous night with her eyes opened, listening to Steven's soft breathing as Wavebreaker had begun to cease its influence, with Pearl coming to her normal senses. She russled within her own head that laid on the pillow, finger interlocking with each other on her stomach as she absorbed and processed Steven's request for her to protect Connie. It sounded just like Rose when she ordered Pearl to protect Steven; a recycled set of words Pearls begun to fear and that he really was just like his mother; that self-sacrifice for the betterment of existence. It caused Pearl no greater amount of torment, her own desires fighting her own directives in another war for the ages that no one else could see. And that wasn't even including Connie in the picture, which was another problem entirely.

Overall, it was purely an indulgence that Pearl was glad to experience for once: Steven next to her in a pure slumber, for Pearl to guide and guard with her own life...until the inevitable time would come.

Pearl wished they would have more time. Instead. she began writing her own Code to pass the time, but eventually, wanted to spend the time wisely, despite conflicts to what she had struggling to deal with.

On their way towards the White Tower again, the pair of them discussed the issues surrounding the Ritual with Queen Pink. Pearl explained that the tether made between the Rage of Gaia and Pink herself no longer existed, as it would seem, that Rose had mentioned that she had cut the tether by accident in an attempt to figure out a way to destroy the Queens. Rose had once explored many ways to satisfy the Old Gods to bring colour back to the World and one of them was to eliminate the connections between the Spirit Seal Relics and their corresponding Diamond Queens; so the Rage of Gaia was a source of many experiments to see how the Queens had conducted the Unforgiving Sin, though not a lot came back with positive results as nothing of import had changed, no matter how she tried. She'd been upset, sitting in the Temple, sliding against the back wall of room and cried...only Pearl had seen Rose cry and made sure to look after her after those rare cuts in her life where she almost succumbed to despair. Hearing that made Steven surprised to hear his mother like that, but when he thought about it, he imagined she'd tried all avenues and if she done so many as Pearl proposed, then it would take its toll for sure.

So this was the only way to solve it then. Standing in the middle of the path, Steven looked down at the ground, again, his own role amounting to be the last try to get it all right again. It made him admire his mother for trying and, well, could there have been another way to do it? Was there something that hadn't been attempted? A concept unfound as of that moment? Steven hoped there would be, but he was in no position to figure that out. He wasn't a Scribe. He wasn't a Teller or a Undertaker...or even an official Knight for that matter...and his mothers word had been the only real concept to fall back on. 

Trying so hard with the path taken, Steven had to make it work. For his mother to proven correct in her theories and all her hard work would eventually pay off at last. But this wasn't what was bothering him right now.

"Pearl, why didn't Mom try to cut the tethers to do the Mirror and Cube if it worked for the Sword?" He questioned.

Pearl had her back to him at the time, biting her lip as she tried to think of an answer, before turning around, appearing confident and of matter-as-fact.

"We were never able to find them..." Pearl told him.

"Even if we did, Rose had no idea...how she cut the tether to begin with. She wasn't an Architect Mage like Peridot or a Witch Doctor like Priyanka. While she was smart, she was still limited in the magics she could use."

But she used the complex Psychic Code magic normally used by Scribes? Steven could agree that learning the Code was hard...writing it was even harder...and the spells conducted for those could have been lengthy...the Silence Spell was two pages long. He imagined his mothers Code taking an entire book maybe and it wasn't able to be tracked down. Nor would it be useful in the end when it never fulfilled the task it was written for. So it was perhaps, logical that it was scrapped. Still, Steven would have loved to have kept Peridot around or even to get to know the Lapis a bit better.

"So it was a lot of guess work then." He said. But then something else disturbed him on that thought. He pulled out the blade from its sheath, holding it as he tilted the sword to examine its shine, hoping to see the face of Bismuth within, but only saw his own.

"Wait, then...how do we free Bismuth from the Sword?"

Pearl blinked as she turned her back to Steven, holding her hands low.

"I don't know. The magics used for the other Spirit Seal Relics...they were utilised in ways unseen and unconventionally...I could only surmise the lack of projection of the Gems Spirit into the world could be because of the tether being cut."

So she was stuck in there? Forever? Steven didn't like this, tightening his grip on the sword as he felt instant guilt over it. No. Bismuth, even if he didn't know her all that well. Pearl turned back around and put her hands on the one holding the the sword, as he looked at her hand, then towards her smiling face attempting to console him.

"It's...sweet you want her spirit to be at the same peace as the others. But if we resurrect the Old Gods, then they might be merciful in granting her some rest. For now, it is best for you, Gaia's Champion, to continue to use her blade in the Gods honour. I think Bismuth wouldn't mind being used like this...she enjoyed her craft so it is mostly befitting of her to be a weapon of terrifying power."

Steven smiled in return. That was also true. Pearl always knew what to say to make him feel better, her words of encouragement always a blessing to him.

"Yeah...yeah you're right." He told her.

Continuing their walk towards the Tower, Pearl talked to him about the actual method that they had planned to use for the ritual instead and it turned out to be, as she had discussed this with Rhodonite the day before, Pearl had prepared an alternate set of runes to use to contain Pink's Spirit. Normally, as Spirit Seal Relic's purpose was both used as a Conduit of sorts, but when used for the ritual, the power of the Relics normally created a special containment field, with the spells implemented using the special magic that only spirits have, to force another spirit which would generally be unable to use the special magic, to where they wanted them to go, IE imbuing the spiritual magic into the nearest Gem that they could find to seal them in. 

Very complex, but both Pearl and Rhodonite had invented the perfect rune to conduct the ritual required. Though Steven wasn't sure of Rhodonites side of things.

"Does this method, involve me on the short end of the stick, metaphorically speaking? How did you find out that she was with Queen White anyway?" Steven questioned.

Pearl shook her head, sensing Steven's concern. Two loaded questions in a row, Pearl had to give him the best answer she could provide, as she didn't even think about telling Steven on how she found out.

"I will make sure it doesn't. Rhodonite is...proficient in writing Code. So few individuals can actually write it properly and the way Rhodonite pitched the idea about using an Alternate Rune would suggest she's a Scribe as well as a Knight."

So Pearl judged her on her knowledge about Psychic Magic? Was that it? How was that evidence? 

"How do you know that though? I mean, Yeah the Scribes are secretive as you've been saying and Mom knew the magic too. Does that make Mom a part of the Scribes as well?"

Another loaded question that had Pearl sweating about it. So many variables she never considered.

"Well, uhhh...no...of course not."

Steven stopped again, closing his eyes as Pearl was testing his patience yet again.

"Pearl..."

He didn't accept that as the truth? Surely he should have. Rhodonite did serve Queen White...but Pearl had to tell Steven something, anything that would have him do what he had to. His eyes, display the scrutiny that dug into her deeper than she liked them to. Convincing him shouldn't have been that hard... she stood towards him, her hands raised up to her chest, praying for him to see reason with her assumptions. But Pearl could not afford to be too revealing, as what had been really discussed with Rhodonite prior. Steven had become too suspicious for, more than Pearl liked to. Each measure of silence taken, increased it even more. She had to act.

"Okay, Steven...I...wrote a Code. A special Code. One...your mother had been testing and developing but I'd been trying to perfect...it detects true allegiances. It looks into the spirit and shows a colour. And her colour...was White."

The way Steven reacted, the way his confusion had blended in with his scepticism, brought Pearl time.

"Sounds like a spell that I could have been taught earlier." He complained.

"Useful...might have saved lives."

Oh no.

"Steven you must understand..." She pleaded, walking closer to him. She oddly began to raise her lower right arm in front of her, then she slowly tapped it with her left hand twice. An odd gesture Steven had never seen before.

"There's so much that can go wrong. Teaching spells classified to certain groups can also go wrong and have gone wrong in the past. I only just finished it recently...if you have ever had your eye on me, I'm constantly writing in a notebook because I'm testing codes myself constantly. Your mother does the same thing and I fear, I'll never be able to reach her natural talent for Code. But it's why, I need to teach you Code. Because even with the Light of Psyche on our side, Every Queen we have fought so far, pales to the danger White poses. Your shield might not be enough."

So it had been said many times before. Though Steven wasn't pleased with that particular answer. Pearl was worried with all this information being poured onto him like that out of nowhere, that he was increasingly getting paranoid about Pearl's promise. Like someone had seeded the doubt in his head before. She couldn't accept that. She loved him too much to allow him to hate her...but, as his mother before him, she will fight for him irregardless of his personal opinion.

Was it Amethyst or Garnet that forged it for him though? Was that what Rhodonite had been wary of? Loose ends?

Pearl hated this more and more. She heard Steven take a huge sigh, as he pushed on. He had every right to be pissed off with her and Pearl's current dilemma was whether or not she was running out of chances with him.

* * *

They had gotten to the Tower not long after, seeing Rhodonite standing there with her arms behind her back, her eyes tracking Steven especially.

"You're finally here." She said, maintaining the air of professionalism.

"I'll take you both to the room."

Tension was the extinct elephant in the room, with Rhodonite leading the nervous but cool posing Pearl and the anxious and irritated Steven to the room that was claimed to be open once Pink was poofed. Only, that Pearl had to try and maintain that cool until they were done. Pearl identified this place, designed with confusing hallways, an ancient place of ancient times before the Unforgiving Sin, a relic of the old world left to rot on the inside, with the exterior perfected for the greatest illusion to intimidate the masses. Pearl couldn't help but remember the good old days, when things were simple. Palaces of light and beauty was celebrated in art of all forms. She missed poetry the most, and how clean everything was. Eras lost, forgotten and discarded with Pearl being the fair few who held the luxuries before the Sin.

Once they had arrived, Rhodonite opened the door, revealing the huge rune in the middle, with the usage of pink chalk for the circles. The interior looked a lot like the room Pink was in, except with more brick walls, parts fractured revealing the dirty concrete behind it, as well as a few broken tables, chairs and torn white cloth. Candles were absolutely everywhere, lighting the room in glowing twilight embers. It was still relatively cold in here otherwise.

"Pearl told me there is an Alternate method to destroy Pink? Is that right?" Steven asked, his voice low and confined, much of a contrast to his usually way of talking.

Rhodonite looked at Pearl briefly with her lower pair of eyes, before focusing on Steven.

"Yes that is correct." She replied.

"Luckily for us, Pink was considered the weakest in power compared to the other Queens. This Chalk here is special, enchanted and taken from the Blue Compound. It uses specially made shards and takes advantage of both Gaian Magic and Miserian Magic. The same mixture of magics used to originally create Spirit Seal Relics. It's not as strong but it will have to do."

Preparations were made as Steven stood in his circle...to where they were only two circles made instead of the originally three. Pearl took out Pink's Gem and promptly placed into the circle opposite Steven, giving him a once over glance, wordlessly telling him that he could conduct the Silence Spell when he was ready. Not wanting to interrupt the sequence, Steven went through the motions. Pearl had her trusty white notebook, opening it as she began the chants for the ritual to begin. He could see Rhodonite in his peripheral version, standing there so straight, arms behind her back as she watched the rituals proceedings. At that moment, he could sort of believe Pearl, the tiniest of tells that came from her alone that Steven could see how she could be a traitor, but he couldn't tell how.

Just like...well, besides the fact that the usual rituals conducted had three components instead of two, Steven could already feel something was quite different about this ritual. It looked relatively the same as rune lit up in a hot pink glow, sparks of magic rising from the lines themselves as Pearl continued her chants to strengthen the spell. Steven himself began to glow, as whispers began to enter his ears. It couldn't have been Bismuth..maybe Pink?

Pearl and Rhodonite had disappeared as Steven was taken to the Speckled Room again, but was left with the sword and Pink's Gem as the both floated around him. Wait, they said...

_Traitor...Traitor...TRAITOR!_

_THIS ISN'T WHAT YOU PROMISED_

_THIS ISN'T WHAT YOU SAID_

_THIS ISN'T WHAT YOU PROMISED_

_THIS ISN'T WHAT YOU SAID_

It was two angry voices that practically scratched into his head, causing no amount of grief for Steven as he covered his ears, their tones rather piercing.

_PINK IS JUST A TRAITOR_

_ROSE IS JUST A TRAITOR_

_PINK IS JUST A TRAITOR_

_ROSE IS JUST A..._

In that instant, Pink's Gem was destroyed by the Sword anyway, much to Steven's confusion, but then the sword aimed at Steven again and he knew instantly, from first time and the second time, that it was going to aim straight for his gut. While he wanted to avoid it, he couldn't and the pain was just the same...

Falling the floor, the room returned back to normal. Steven laid unceremoniously on the floor, hearing Rhodonite muttering to Pearl about something, though Steven's hearing had gone fuzzy temporarily; as he wasn't able to hear her. Though, he understood his own temporary amnesia just like when he woke up and instantly started muttering the Silence Spell on Rhodonite as he tried to stand up with his back to her.

"Well that's done and dusted." Rhodonite commented, as she slowly approached Steven. She pulled out something from her chest gem, something small and white. He caught Pearl looking at him, as he continued to chant with what he remembered. As Rhodonite got closer to him, Pearl raised her right arm to her stomach and hovered her opposite hand over it, with Steven watching her with caution. It was the same gesture as before. Then he understood.

"Now, the Light of Psyche..."

Pearl slapped her right arm twice, telling Steven to turn around as Rhodonite tried to strike Steven with a dagger, only for him to summon his Shield at the last second, deflecting the fusions attack. Steven didn't need Pearls loyalty spell; this was the evidence he needed now. Rhodonite ran back and then looked at Pearl and opened her mouth to try and speak, but nothing was coming out. Her expression was at first, confused, going to the ground then eyeing the huge smug on Pearls face as she crossed her arms, proud of her Crystal Priest for recognising the signs. Rhodonite tried to cry out but the spell was too strong...to where tears were not of sadness, but of pure rage, fruitlessly throwing herself at Steven as she tried to kill him.

Steven took the sword out as he fought her, swinging more so. The Fusion knew how to dodge but she didn't have the build for the agility, leading Steven to strike her through the stomach, barely missing her belly Gem. Rhodonite shook more so from rage as she bared her teeth and glared at Pearl and mouthed something Steven couldn't read, but Pearl would have a pretty good idea of what she was trying to say, before Rhodonite poofed entirely. A fight so pathetic, Steven had been more of a less disappointed, having gotten a more pleasing fight from Jasper than this sorry excuse for a speed battle.

Making sure she didn't instantly reform, Pearl immediately went up to her component Gems and bubbled them together straight away. Turning to Steven, he had since zoned out and became extremely unfocused, with shield on his arm and sword in his hand. He must have had a lot of troubling calming himself down...but he did this after his rant at Jasper, so it was nothing new.

"That was very good Steven!" Pearl praised.

But his manner didn't change...he was hyperfixating on something else and his hand was gripping so tightly on the hilt that he was shaking and even sweating.

"Where is the Light?" He demanded.

Abrupt as he had been, stunning Pearl briefly before she cleared her throat. She looked around the room.

"I uh...it's um..."

She was prepared...but at the same time she wasn't. The path taken wasn't exactly the one she had chosen and she could see it now in Steven, charged and filled with the powers that be, voices that she could imagine that linger in that organic head of his, uncontrolled, relentless and in the pursuit of a single goal. The extent of his actual, strength emboldened by circumstances of his birth, were coming to warp him in ways Pearl would have said she would have imagined, but it was what she had actually perceived to be something else entirely.

So she couldn't lie to him. She couldn't put him on that detour to the truth for any longer than it needed to be. Because the last thing Pearl needed, was to see the end of the weapon dug deep into her. And she has had that done to her multiple times in the past.

"Rhodonite is the true key to the Light." Pearl admitted for a fraction of the truth.

"Crush her Gems, Absorb her power. The door will be opened."

She almost jumped as he turned to face her with such....impunity. His stare; a dagger on its own and piercing into Pearl so deeply that he needn't touch her in order to dissipate her form. Steven put away his sword and shield and strode his way to Pearl. His eyes were now the fiery shades of Pink. His aura was more controlled, silenced but deadlier that the flames that normally encompassed his form. Did he take her fractured truth for a spin again? Pearl took no pleasure in doing so, but this way she had Steven on the right track.

"Very well. Give them to me."

The temperature of the room must have fell like ten degrees, the candles stuttering their light as he said that. Pearl handed the bubble containing the Gems and popped them as Steven put each one into his hands. He didn't even look at them as he grasped them ever so tightly in his hands, instead, he was looking down at Pearl with a striking stare but oddly enough, Pearl couldn't tell the real emotion behind his eyes. They were dead to her but his body language suggested this was an evolved form of his tranquil rage...an anger he was trying to suppress so much that it was oozing out of his iris's.

That made Pearl feel a lot worse if it was what she thought it was; like it was actually Rose looking at her instead. She couldn't stop staring at him either, as he crunched the Gems effortlessly in his hands at the same time, as Pearl winced at the sickening crunch. The essences of the Gem went straight to his, his own glowing under the absorption. To their right, a line formed a door in the wall, revealing a new hidden room.

Steven broke contact as he walked towards the door, Pearl swallowing and almost shivering in panic as to how badly Steven was taking this, causing Pearl more concern than anything else. This wasn't the original plan she had and making it up as she did...and the idea that was a parasite in her mind that either Amethyst or Garnet were the ones to have turned Steven against her...maybe she shouldn't take chances like this anymore. Those two had to be dealt with, but with a more appropriate manner. She cursed Rhodonite whom simply planted the concept but the logic was built on that format and it made the most sense to her.

Following Steven, the door opened to his presence. Candles lit up, revealing a descending stairs. He walked down and didn't even flinch as he lightly stormed downwards into the depths. Once he had arrived into a White room with a white tiled roof with numerous engravings but no walls...the abyss was as far as one could see. Not too dissimilar to a Kindergarten Temple in design. On top of a rounded dais of pure white marble, again with Gem Glyph engravings, displayed a shiny white ball with a series of lines. Steven's seen this type design before, seeing some of the children play a game with a dirty brown one in his youth.

A Volleyball.

The Light of Psyche was a volleyball?

Pearl stood next to him, her hands together as she looked up at the shining, gleaming and glowing relic that floated on the dais. The room was extremely cold and as he looked around the place, the speckled flakes were floating around slowly and aimlessly, as he was worried White was playing her tricks again. But he couldn't afford to hesitate. Not now. So he walked up to the ball and took it and already felt the power flowing through it.

This was the last piece they needed to win this once and for all. He looked at Pearl who nodded but said nothing else.

* * *

They left the Tower shortly after, to make their due course back to the Temple. The air was much colder out here than it was before, so something definitely shifted as Rhodonite had once called it to be...but now it was more of a old and new feeling at the same time. Flakes fell from the sky as Steven caught one. It was pure white and it melted in his hand. This couldn't have been rain, surely. They were few and far in between as Steven looked up at the sky. The dull grey clouds still existed so...moving on, Steven took the opportunity to look around one last time. Those buildings, homes to his people, could finally rebuild for a better future for themselves and for the generations to come. Animosity might still rise up on the occasion but it wasn't something that couldn't be quelled peacefully. So he sighted many of locals of Compound Four, those he knew and those he had never seen...they were all free. In that same instance, it dreaded Steven just as much to think that this was...going to be the last time he was going to see this place, but he was confident that it was now going to be in the right hands for those who will be able to treat each other with the rights they deserve.

Pearl had put the Light back into the Gem, but it didn't stop Steven from thinking about it. It might have been mundane compared to the other objects, but the Light of Psyche was_ finally_ in his grasp. But now he could finally return home...and finally rest for a while as the prepared to against the Last Queen...but most of all, Steven really,_ really_ wanted to see Connie. Thoughts trailed into the conflicting ones though because...he knew it was going to come soon and this...no, he didn't want to think about it just yet...

Those revolving trails were interrupted as they returned to the entrance and Steven's blood nearly boiled at the sight of a familiar orange leaning against the gates with her usual lackeys Ocean and Biggs. Though her smile was a usual indicator of her attempts to manipulate Steven, something was very different. Pearl waited for Steven to say something but he didn't...his eyes half-lidded, severely unimpressed with not just Jasper blocking their way, but obviously she still didn't learn her lesson.

But the orange Gems face changed to neutral as she stood up and closed her eyes. She made a fist, and tentatively shook it. Steven had to be way if she was about to punch his face, but she was welcome to try if she wanted to. In fact, he dared her to; she had no chance left and he was now hungry for more crushed Gems.

Instead, she raised her hand at him. A gesture normally reserved for humans.

He must have been staring at her hand for a good moment or so, stunned at the fact that it was now that she wanted to...make up for she had done. Jasper had been tormenting him for years and he's given twice as much as she had given to him in the battles they've had in the short term than the long term. So her offering this was very big of her. Would it be right to feel pride? No. It wasn't respect or a sick version of admiration. But humility had humbled her as Steven no felt the embroiled tension. It was just regular tension but without the need for her to beat the living snot out of him.

He took her hand and shook it briefly, to where she ended up taking her other hand and putting it on top of his and folding his fingers into his palm. Steven furrowed his brows in confusion as he took a short glimpse at his hand, before looking at the steely eyed Jasper, a gaze that lingered for far longer than it needed to be. Her attempts to play nice...were admirable in fact...putting that in a strange way that would never confirm a total type of admiration. Stevens should have been angry, should have been so surely pissed off at all the things that Jasper had done over the years and that he should have just crushed her there and then and at the earliest opportunity.

But he remembered, he was far from that...and nothing Jasper could have done would have been considered morally good, she did make things less painful for him at times in his life. She allowed Steven into Arena matches in place of his father and his loved ones who couldn't really fight for themselves. She trained him in secret when technically it was forbidden (and that was without him using any of his powers). Her motives were selfish but one thing Jasper would never do...was lie.

She couldn't. She never did. She was as brutally honest at this come and even if she did lie, it always been a joke for pure laughs. He could trust Jasper to cruel and her ambitions in her life...had never been properly sated.

It became very awkward, although she ended up leaning on one knee and bowing her head. As did Ocean and Biggs...and as Steven looked around, he could see the group of Quartz Warriors surrounding him, doing the same thing; going down on one knee and bowing their heads and holding a fist to the ground. This was the highest honour a Quartz Warrior could receive...a noted culture trait Steven had also learned from her...that he knew the specific traits that they would often display to one another...their own little society of brutal soldiers and those with tales of honour. 

It was the Bow of Strength; acknowledging the strongest Quartz Warrior in the band of, well every warrior that fit their code of ethics. The Warriors after all, weren't an official group, just...Gems that fit into their mould but were mostly Quartz class Gems that follow the path.

It was then Jasper finally opened her mouth.

"We are the durable..."

"_You are the strongest..._" Said the other Quartzes in sync.

"We are the mighty." Said Jasper.

"_You are the mightier_."

"We are the best."

"_You are the greatest._"

"We will never forget."

"_Your mettle well met._"

"Our fights are your fights."

"_Your light is our light._"

"Our chorus is yours."

"_Your strength is our cause._"

"Our Captain, Our Warrior."

"_Your enemies are sorrier."_

"The Greatest Quartz Warrior of all."

"_Your legion of Quartz, are now at your call..._"

Steven swallowed as they finished their once in a life time declaration, as Pearl whispered something about the last time she had heard that being chanted was when his mother was made Captain.

Jasper let his hand go as she stood back up and crossed her arms across her chest as she looked at him. Did she really hand the Captain Authority to him? Now, as they were leaving.

"You have shown us.... shown me the greatest power...in defeating the Diamond Queens, a feat never seen before, you have given Quartzes the respect they deserve."

Wait. how did they know Steven was a...unless.

"Other gems will now fear us more so...now that we put the Diamondslayer in charge of our ranks. Now, what are our orders Captain Steven Quartz?"

This was...really awkward. Steven looked at Pearl who shrugged, being just as confused as he was right now. But maybe this was something Steven could use to his advantage. He looked around him, seeing the circle of Quartzes whom had been sworn to his service, looking up at him with determination, like new life had been leased into him. He knew Quartzes through and through and maybe it was time for them to use their powers for good. In the most entertaining aspect, hearing Jasper say something else other than his original number was refreshing and solidifying this allegiance was a definite win in his book. Though Steven Quartz was a new one, even if none of them understood his nature as a Hybrid, they all saw him as the Strongest Quartz.

"I uhh....I know you're not used to this but...I need you to help the humans here. Protect them. The other Compounds might come here...and take advantage of our inferior technology and defences and will steal our resources. But the humans and the other Gems that live here, hope to develop better ways to make it much better...so you will still be the enforcers here...but now for a better cause."

Jasper lowered her head.

"Understood Captain. We will defend this Compound with our life. Quartzes, you heard him! Get a move on!"

Steven watched as the rest ran off to do as they were told to. If life had only be this easier, Steven would have attempted to climb the ranks a long time ago. But right now, as Pearl tapped on his shoulder to remind him, he had other pressing matters. He stopped Jasper in his tracks as she begun to walk off too.

"Jasper, wait..." He pleaded.

"Yes Captain?" She said with the boatload of more respect that Steven was comfortable with...he had gotten so used to her degrading talk.

"I am on a mission right now. I need you to look after these Quartzes for me while I am gone....so...uhh....I am declaring you...Vice Captain?" He told her, with a bit of a squeak of uncertainty at the end.

Jasper nodded.

"Understood Captain. I will make sure your Quartzes are in line until you return...if we need you, we will send a messenger. Likewise, do not hesitate to send us one as well if you need us asap."

Steven was not used to be in charge; given this power of people wasn't something he really wanted in life. But having allies during these times were worth a lot more than having enemies...given how things could escalate so quickly.

"Make sure you read those letters too. Don't just chuck them out. They'll be important. Good luck out there sir."

* * *

With that...incredibly off put event that had...happened just then, Steven and Pearl finally left to go back to the Temple. It was a few days trip, but one thing that riddled his head was Jasper last few words. Make sure he reads the letters? What was she talking about? Not that it was too concerning, but the way she said it had put some emphasis on it was like it was being called to attention for a good reason.

That night, Pearl and Steven spent in one of the abandoned houses. A nice light blue one, single story, with few broke walls and fewer holes in the roof. Pearl offered to guard Steven as she stood out the front; the usual Drylands procedure as Steven required his rest, as he set up his sleeping bag and prepared for dinner...a simple can of beans. It brought back so many good memories. The fire well lit from the fire place that hadn't been used in so long. Looking into the flames, he decided to clean his sword and maybe have a chat with Bismuth while he was doing so. She deserved more than she did and while she couldn't talk, Steven would treat her anyway, as he pulled the sword out of the the sheath and rested it on the red rug in front of him.

Next he rummaging his bag to find his cloth, only for a piece of paper to drop out at the same time. Odd, he didn't recall putting paper in there...most of the notes side of things were left with Pearl as Steven always screwed up the paper. He took it and allowed the light of the fire to show the red text as he unfolded it.

"The Maiden Reef is to the East of the House of Light. Do_ not_ show this to your Pearl. J."

Steven furrowed his brows, puzzled as why J, presumably Jasper, would tell him this. Though, it might have solved that little mystery of her weird wording earlier that day. He looked to the white door, wary of Pearl entering at as he read it, so he quickly shoved the paper to bis bag. This was even more troubling...first Peridot and now Jasper was warning Steven about her. So much she had told him so far had been a mixture of what might be deliberate misdirection and genuine concern, maybe things she couldn't say in front of him in general. He had no proof to work with, unless he would somehow steal her Loyalty Spell to find out whom she was really serving. Leaving that for another time, he continued to talk with Bismuth casually for the rest of the night before he went to bed, but didn't mention Pearls name, as he was fearful that she was right behind that door and listening in to him speaking to her. So he talked to Bismuth about the potential Gem that was used to make the Light itself a Spirit Seal Relic and how weird it was that they used a simple sports ball as its foundation and conduit.

How he was going to go about this, Maiden Reef, without her knowing was anyone's guess. But he'll have to plan that once they had gotten back to the Temple. And he'll need some help.

So that night alone, Steven did not rest easy. At all, unable to stop thinking about everything on its way towards the end.


	48. Blending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet talks with Steven. Steven talks with Connie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feels ensue.
> 
> and I enjoyed writing this chapter...when I shouldn't have.

Home sweet home.

Steven was glad to be back. As he entered, he could see Connie, wearing a cyan dress with a thick navy coat...and the glistening eyes he treasured so much. She ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, embracing him as he swarmed her with the same love, his own arms around her, absorbing her warmth and her scent. She was what made this home...and while the Pink Compound had been his home, it hadn't been for a while. Accustomed to colour, he was again reminded by the flora here that this was also part of what had to bring back and protect, the scent of freshness and the glow Connie provided revived Steven's soul in that instant.

He spoke with everyone else at the dining area, as he showed them the Light of Psyche. Though Amethyst wasn't impressed that something supposed to be so grand was confined to sports object of the past, they needed to respect the object as it was, even if it didn't look like much.

Study into finding about Compound One, or the White Compound had immediately taken place, though it would take them a while, since they knew so little about it, even from tomes on the topic, which were so few in number anyway.

Garnet suggested while that was all well and good and that he was keen to get underway, that he take a well earned rest before throwing himself in it and the first priority he had was a nice, hot shower.

He'd almost had forgotten all the.._.purifying_ about this process of cleansing; dismantling the grit, the dust, the dirt...sand...When it the Drylands it embeds its onto the skin like a protective membrane. You get used to it, but shedding the layers with sponges and pumices was a ritual on its own. With the water running down through his hair, steam taking its place in the spaces around him, Steven wouldn't deny that he missed this a lot too. Looking to the empty spot next to him, however, he definitely missed Connie with him, messing around, throwing soap at each other, kissing, making love and all the perspiration that comes with it; the actions that would place his heart in between fluttering and rapidly beating out the intensity.

He hadn't thought about it that much, but...she was a bit distant before he left for the Compounds. Should he be worried? Should he be asking questions? The type of thoughts were created when one was often alone in the shower, pensive expressions as you scrubbed your skin or were combing shampoo in your hair. 

Once he was cleaned up, he got dressed; changing into a black, long sleeved turtle neck top and jeans left the bathroom, seeing the empty pink bed in the empty pink room of complete, colourless silence. The Rage of Gaia rested on the coffee table, as Steven walked over, sitting on the couch with his head in his hands and his elbows rested on his knees, slouching over as he examined the blade.

_Bismuth._

He'd given anything to hear her speak. To know her better...to tell her that he's sorry she's trapped in it and cannot rest until they find the Code to bring her peace.

_Peace_. Was it achievable? Did Bismuth have an opinion? She must have had one...she must have been angry about being betrayed. Being used and abused.

_Abused_. Could he write the Code to allow her to talk? Did it matter? Maybe. She was someone and that someone must be allowed the chance to voice, to vent...to be feel the relief of being released, unshackled from an eternity of suffering.

_Suffering_. He's seen enough suffering. Not just at the Compound, but on his travels...in every skeleton and every empty home.

_Home_, places he's resided in and come to let his guard down in moments of time.

_Time_...how much of it did he have left?

It wasn't long until Garnet entered. She was the strong, silent type by default. A sound leader, allocated by his mother to be the Head Priest. He wasn't sure if what Pearl claimed to be true; that he was meant to be Head Priest and that Garnet was merely the acting leader until the time arrived. Not that Steven endeavoured or had any immediate ambitions to be the leader. Her manner was good and bad. A neutral stance to take all into consideration, before making any specific voice. At least people could listen to her, her wisdom as a fusion going hand in hand with her strength. Her past, as a Ruby and Sapphire was fascinating on its own, but overall, he didn't know Garnet as much as he'd like to. As horrible as it was, he was kind of glad Pearl wasn't around. She wasn't a bad person, just...the way she acted at the Pink Compound disturbed him more so. Wakebreaker does make a person act differently...but...

Garnet sat next to him, looking at the Sword, sitting up straight in contrast to Steven's slouch.

"Do you know much about Code?" Steven asked.

Garnet looked down.

"A little." She replied.

"It's not in our magic. Being from the Blue Compound, we're adhered more Miserian Magics that the Coven designed us to use. But it does not mean I haven't seen it, nor have it not used it."

As he was informed prior.

"Circulatory Charms, Icon Magic...alongside their variants of liquid charms, spells and curses. Blue's way of supporting and punishing...were unique. Taken it as the norm provided, but Prior-Sin Gems know a lot of that magic was inspired by Queen Pink."

Oh?

"Queen Pink invented a lot of that magic?" Steven queried.

Garnet lifted her chin.

"Your mother used to serve her. They were close once. While I do not know a great deal, Rose used to say Pink and Blue used to be closer than Blue was with Yellow. Pink was once described as a Darling Princess as opposed to an actual Queen."

Whether or not anyone really believed that, it was hard to say. A lot had clearly changed in the Post-Sin Society. Queen Pink had her Gaian Knights stolen from her and she devolved into this..self-isolating, non-caring maniac. But from what Garnet had been saying, it wasn't as farfetch'd as they had it seem to be. Steven didn't want to empathise but he couldn't help it.

"Peridot said that...well, some magics themselves can fuse. Is that also true?" Steven queried further.

Garnet hummed.

"In a sense, yes." She said.

"A lot of magic can be categorised as specific types, but it takes a lot of work and concentration and mistake-making to figure out how to do so. Blending them together, is entirely something else."

Which meant Steven's legacy as an Advanced Spirit Seal Relic of his mother was more true than they realised. Pearl wasn't wrong on Code being difficult either...and Garnet more so. 

"Which makes it easy to see why you had trouble developing the Garden huh..." Steven noted.

Garnet nodded.

"I know Queen Blue was trying to get her Gems to use Gaian Magic. Some of it was successful but you saw how she has humans tend to her gardens? She was under the belief that only humans knew how to tend them properly, but never admitted it."

Amusing. Pride was commonplace in the terms of the Queens downfall...although, now that Steven looked at it, most of them accepted their deaths towards the end. There had been a prophecy after all. It wasn't like they knew that it wasn't coming. One of their own Gems basically establishing this as fact and their pride at them think that they couldn't be struck down. Steven could feel pity for their states but perhaps...pride was just a cover for their guilt. Guilt over the sin...and he had granted them the same amount of freedom like he had done with Lapis and Peridot...and the countless Unsaved left to themselves in the Drylands.

"Your mother tried to teach each of us magic that we were used to using; I'm natural towards Miserian. You haven't seen my devices that I've kept over the years but I mostly keep them with Amethyst. So I use my Sapphire to help shape our futures to a limited extent. But Rose taught me Gaian. Ancient Gaian that looked so similar and that's when I learned from Rose that it wasn't naturally Miserian. I found it fascinating."

And Rose taught Pearl Psychic Magic. So what about Amethyst?

"Amethyst wasn't taught to use any specific magic. She'd come from the last batch of Quartz Soldiers developed and left with the Pink Compound....and wasn't treated like a fellow Quartz Warrior. So she tended to the Barracks, washed up after Quartz Warriors making a mess of their Quarters. She was small, but she was resourceful. She would pick up on conversations much easier...and was able to sneak around to ignore notice because her curious nature told her to. Rose found her as she tried to break into a humans house...and found an apple and wasn't sure what to think of it. Rose was actually in the house at the time talking with one of her Acolytes and discovered her sneaking about. Instead of berating her, she told the Amethyst to sit them and to talk. Amethyst recognised Rose from the Barracks and Rose was the first Warrior that treated her with respect...and taught her how to eat."

How....sweet...for someone who didn't know a great deal about his mother, Garnet did in fact, know a lot.

"When forming the Crystal Priestesses, she took Amethyst under her wing as her Recon Spy. Finding out information, resources and going undercover in exchange for the beautiful wonders of the World of Before, as Amethyst had never known it as such and would encourage Amethyst to try out human things like cooking. Before we knew it, the Kitchen was made and Amethyst, while reckless and sometimes vulgar, is a very good Priestess, even if she doesn't think much of herself. After all, the plan to get you here wouldn't gone off as well as it did without her help."

The Gem to unlock the Temple. Yeah, Garnet was right. It wasn't all about the magic. Skills in other areas were just as critical to their roles to revive the world and Amethyst doing the dirty work was an aspect she herself enjoyed doing and had impressive results.

"What about you Garnet? How did you meet Rose?"

Garnet grinned.

"Would you believe me if I said it was Queen Blue that discovered the power of Fusion?"

Steven raised an eyebrow.

"Nope? But I'm listening!"

Garnet chuckled....

* * *

She explained how while in the Corundum Coven, there were a group of Gems that had come from the Pink Compound that were delivering specific humans and Gems that Blue had picked out for herself. There had been not long, some years after Rose had taken the Knights away from Pink so to take a load off her dilemma, Blue had undertaken a massive task of some of Pinks best Gems and Warriors to put to work. After all, if Pink wasn't going to use them if she had chosen to isolate herself in her tower, then Blue had every right to take them.

She would learn the secrets of the Pink Compound, some would give details of Gaian Magic to which Blue would say would strengthen her Compound. Even if they were allies, the Queens held a friendly rivalry, trying to one up the other with which Compound was the best. 

No one knew that it was this particular Rose Quartz that had feigned her way into the Compound and her intents here were trying to free the humans and most of the humans here were in league with the Knights. A clever plot that would serve to undermine Blue's authority. A task that was, close to impossible as life here wasn't going to be as miserable as it would seem. Humans that didn't _even_ remember Miseria, their treasured God and Gems were told that she didn't exist and they only serve their one true Diamond Queen and weren't going to listen to any old Quartz.

The Corundum Coven had its influence the strongest here and that word came about of a rogue Gem that was sewing discord in the clean streets of the Third Compound. A Sapphire and three Rubies were sent to investigate the problem.

Eventually, they came across Rose under Sapphires guidance, pleading to a Lapis, her gem on her shoulder, to join her cause, only for the Rubies to fuse. Fusion hadn't been known, experimented upon by Queen Blue but only between similar Gem types and believed it was a type of Icon Magic. So Rose had never seen this magic used before, but was then saved immediately by a Pearl who had been lurking nearby. Two of the three Rubies poofed, the last one terrified upon the sight of a Renegade Pearl in this place.

The Pearl then aimed for the Sapphire, before the Ruby jumped in to save her. Little did she know, it would allow them to fuse.

"A miracle, a fusion of two separate Gems...Icon Magic that had not been explored under Blue's Authority. Perplexed about their unorthodox nature, the fusion was confused and unsure and the Lapis that witnessed everything threatened to tell Queen Blue about this. As a result, Rose ended up poofing the Lapis to talk to the Forbidden Fusion.

"How do you feel?" Said Rose.

The fusion wasn't sure. They hadn't experienced this before. This magic was normal to the Ruby but the Sapphire? Sapphire only saw that the Lapis was going to steal Pearl's sword and poof her and the Quartz. Not the other way around. The Ruby had eluded her once perceived flawless magic.

"What will the Coven think of us? We're going to be shattered." She said.

Rose only gifted them with a smile. A smile that could save the world.

"Then join us." Rose said, with Pearl by her side.

"We're looking for people to help restore to this planet."

Without a second thought the fusion could see she could trust this infamous Quartz and became a Crystal Priestess.

* * *

"What about the Lapis? What happened to her?" Steven questioned.

Garnet shrugged.

"She ended up telling Blue anyway once she reformed. It was inevitable but Rose was eager to help us out of that place quicker than I could move out of pure shock of my own existence. But she said I was the soul example of defying the rules the Queens had set and would serve the Priestesses well..as Fusion Magic was important. And so....here we are."

It made Steven wonder about his and Connie's fusion. They had gone through a lot less...dramatic endeavour in forming Stevonnie...but he could remember the shock, the confusion all the same...and how pleasant it actually felt to be fused with her. Garnet conducted Icon Magic at its most intriguing. Rain wasn't at all bad either.

"But enough about that. If you think you can handle it, I suggest you go with Amethyst to the Maiden Reef tomorrow to help find the First Compound."

Amethyst? But wait, how did Garnet know about the Maiden Reef?

"Why?" He asked.

Garnet only looked on. It was hard to see what she really thinking, how stoic she maintained her expression and her visor didn't help either.

"I know about the Reef and it's connections to Queen White. But there's always been a room that we've not been able to unlock. Even Pearl can't unlock it."

Oh...wait, what?

"Despite Pearl being a Maiden, the systems detect her allegiances to the Crystal Priestesses and constantly sends off it's security alarm any time we enter. Amethyst can enter but she needs help."

That made sense. Jasper didn't want Pearl to know either...Steven had a gut feeling this was a bit more odd on than Garnet was really letting on. Should he know now? Or should he let slide?

"Her skills can enter the Reef undetected but once she gets to the locked door she can't get any further. There's no other way into this secret room. Amethyst has tried hundreds of times but with no avail. The Light of Psyche being linked to Queen White...its magic should open it."

Should or would?

"Are you sure about that Garnet?" Steven queried.

The fusion crossed her arms.

"I say should because...it should. I know it's not much to go on, but you follow Amethysts lead and you will get what you're looking for. Now rest easy..."

She leaned over and whispered something into Steven's ear.

"Let her know the truth now..."

* * *

She stood up as the door opened, with Connie in the frame itself as Garnet began to walk out. She gave Connie a simple nod of acknowledgement, as she walked out. Connie smiled warmly at Steven as she came and sat next to him. He was still exhausted as he leaned his head on her shoulder and rested his hand on her lap. As far as what had been discussed, Connie continued to learn from her mother about being a Witch Doctor. His mind was fixated on Fusion Magic in general. Not just between Gems and himself...but it had been mentioned by both Peridot and Yellow. Spirit Seal Relics were usually Miserian based, but Yellow had suggested he was made with Gaian Magic being put into the mix. Organic with the inorganic. He felt Connie's arm over him as she rubbed his shoulder. Something about what Garnet said really got to him, digging at him like painful, rusty blades.

"It's almost_ done_." He said, so softly, so _weakly._..

But right now, being with Connie reminded him of so much he had to tell her before the end. Leaving her like this...it pained him too much. Her being with him right now was just so _powerful_ and potent on its own that Steven wished he could make love to her, but he was so exhausted and Connie hadn't been as keen to do so, her work to learn under her mother being far more important than dealing with that...though, it made him wonder...when _would_ be the last time they would get to do so? He harboured the chance to bring Connie to the blessed stars, fusing their spirits one more time before the end. Which lingered closer every day, every hour and every minute...he felt the impact so deeply as tears started to swell up in his eyes...the domino effect of increasing turmoil wrecking havoc the longer he lingered his spirit in the darkness of sorrow.

With his mind of ideals and justifications for the times ahead, Steven was so sure, that Connie will go on as a powerful woman in her own right, like she had proven her worth against Jasper despite the disadvantage and now that Steven no longer had quarrels with Jasper, she stood to be one of the strongest humans, if Jasper took up the chance to train her. An idea...a wonderful idea to the courageous and magical Connie to be the Acolyte to inspire humans...just like his mother would inspire Gemkind. It was meant to be....and Steven...Steven_ wasn't_...

Despite the reluctance, Steven made the ultimate decision, which was what Garnet had the gall to suggest...he _had_ to tell her. He _had_ to tell Connie that this was his destiny. This _had_ to be done...because this alone, in the topic of the years to come, would amount to_ her_ future, to bring out the skies once again and that he was proud to be a part of which made her happy. A hand clung to her jacket ever so tightly, as he couldn't help but sob, releasing the cascade.

"What's the matter?" She asked, caressing his chin with a finger.

He let go and grabbed her hands and put them in front of him, sitting up to look her square in the eye.

"I...I have something important to tell you." He said...struggling to get words out.

"I've been keeping this from you....because I wasn't sure how to say it....and I kept thinking that there was a way out...but..."

Doubt would cloud his mind...and hope would blend in with it. Connie was focused on his every word, if it made him this upset.

"I'm...not going to live for much longer..." He spoke with a bit of a choke in his voice...his own chest speared with a strip of pain that went right through it.

"_What?_" Connie said with disbelief, with the tiniest gasp of air and the shattering of glass within her core being, in the place that threatened to stop her heartbeat.

"Lapis...Peridot...even...Bismuth..." He said as he gestured towards the Sword on the table.

"We're Spirit Seal Relics; bound to a purpose, bound to a form until we're no longer needed. Mom created me to destroy the Diamond Queens and once White is gone, I will cease to be....I'm so, _so_ sorry..."

* * *

Connie's eyes were wide and her pupils but mere pinpricks. No...this couldn't be. This was impossible...tears rolled down their cheeks as despair and disbelief laid claim to her own heart. Holding his shaky hands as they sat on the couch together...his bawling was loud and muffled compared to hers, quiet and minor. And she was one for feeling awful about not telling him about...

She tried to open her mouth, but she struggled to do even that. No more words could escape her mouth to tell him. No amount of willpower could force her to. The air was cold and it felt like all of it was forced out of her lungs and tightened her throat. She felt absolutely...terrible...so much conflict within her alone that she could do nothing but stare at him and hold him. And hold him, she did...he collapsed in her arms, his head in her chest as he began to cry harder. 

Her mind ran through all stops for this logic. What were Spirit Seal Relics? Why had she not heard of them? Why did Steven not tell her this until now? The same reason why she didn't tell him about, well, _her_ issue. It paled in comparison to this revelation, this tragic fate Steven was so sure he was resigned to. 

It devastated her completely and she could already judge from how hard he was crying, that he simply didn't _want_ to die. Connie was meek in the terms of magic and no amount of Witch Doctor training could teach Connie how to make sure Steven would survive this. It was outside her realm of understanding. Her mother already said that this type of magic was considered the weakest among the main sections of magic used by the Cults. She rubbed his back and swallowed, her eyes still wide and her form still frozen as a statue. And his constant, fractured, spluttered words of sorry and I'm so sorry indicated he felt guilty for allowing this to happen, like it was _his_ fault. Steven blamed _himself_ for his own misfortune and position in life.

No. That _wasn't_ true. His mother designed him for this...and Connie could be the master of her own fate like any other human out there with the tenacity to forge it. Fate didn't always need magic to create...a little elbow grease and effort...and Steven was half that. In either case, it wasn't his fault at all...This was too cruel for someone as kind hearted and dedicated like him that it should not be the case at all. Then again, her father was a fatalist more so than he mother and used to say that kindness was a weakness and that those whom would show the spots of it were always taken quicker than the others.

"Steven..." She croaked.

"It'll...it'll be okay...I'm sure..." 

Was she? Could she even begin to fathom the extent of how much he had been hurting over this and for how long?

"I...I don't want to _leave_ you behind..." He cried with a bit of a grunt.

"But I want you...I want you to see everything I'm going to bring back. I'm going to bring it to you Connie, I _swear_..."

And what hurt the most to her was this sworn oath to die for the sake of the world. It would seem noble. But was killing the Gods noble? Was anything of what had been conducted noble? No...it wasn't anything of the sort. They had to do this. This was what had been planned for a long time that the remnants of the old world were just seen as parts of the common world left to myth and dust. What made them so sure...that this sky even existed outside of pictures and facsimiles as projections on dome roofs? An artists interpretation of what the sky looked like? Did the sun, the moon and the stars exist? Did _rain_ exist?

What if everything they had fought for was one big fat lie? What if Rose was wrong and nothing helped? Connie was just the latest in a series of generations of hand me down stories, blended together and mixed up to the point where they had been be a time where there was something else to look to other than clouds. This was their life now and it had always been...The Gods right to curse this world for eternity...because this had been the life, the only life Connie had ever known. She could put up with this...if only it meant Steven was to survive.

But even then, she had waited far too late...she was going to have this baby...and she was going to tell him tonight...but now, Connie wasn't sure of it anymore. What was worth raising their child if Steven wasn't alive to see them grow up?

Steven eventually fell asleep with moments...coming back from the Pink Compound must have taken a lot out of him. She was curious as to what actually happened. He didn't look worse for wear as opposed to what happened in the last Compound. So physically, he was fine...but...no. That curiosity...grew to annoyance..and that annoyance sprouted into anger.

She got a blanket and pillow, letting Steven nap on the couch. She caressed his head and kissed his puff cheek, hoping his slumber would take away his worries for a while. In the mean time, Connie had work to do. She had one Gem to talk to right now...and that Gem was in the room next to Stevens.

* * *

"Did I know he was going to die? Kind of? I'm sure Steven would have had a good reason not to tell you."

Pearl was busy in her room studying up on old books again, piles them sitting around her like tiny towers of cardboard and paper. Connie stood before her, taller than all of them, demanding an explanation.

"Who told him he was going to? You? Garnet? Amethyst?" She asked.

Pearl shrugged, seemingly apathetic. Connie's fury was internally growing as to how calm Pearl was in taking this news, considering that she supposedly, adored Steven.

"I don't know." She said.

Not good enough.

"Steven is convinced he is a Spirit Seal Relic, meaning once this is done. He will die. Is this true?" Connie wanted to know.

Pearl blinked, sipping her tea before putting it down.

"Ahh...well, it _is_ old Icon Magic. Forbidden after the Wars. Since it did require willing Gems to be used to conduct a specific purpose." She continued.

It explained the existences of the Gems inside the Mirror, Cube, Sword and possibly the Volleyball. So Steven was what, a living Seal?

"You keep saying how close to Rose you were, surely, you would have known what she had been planning...that she was going set up her own son to take the fall?" Connie called out.

It made Connie begin to believe how horrible this actually was...that a mother, to her son...using her own, living, breathing loving child as a mere sacrifice to revive it all? Was that the cost? Rose was not the shining, gleaming saint of a Gem everyone thought she was if that was true...but now the evidence started to pile up around her. Absorbing the Diamonds Essences...it was all part of the plan...gathering them all together for some massive ritual that would have them altogether. She didn't care about the Queens personally...and that their souls could rot in what ever Gem version of Hell existed. Steven did _not_ deserve to perish with them. 

"Rose was secretive to all of us." Pearl spoke, so elegantly that it made Connie feel sick.

"We all had a part to play in the roles we're given as Priestesses. Acolytes too...Rose was smart enough to know who to trust and with what."

And it could have been apparent, that they were foolish to trust Rose herself, going from how she must have manipulated everyone...no wonder she was a broken base figure from within the Knights. They did not look too kindly upon some of her actions...this? Would completely demonise her.

"And your role Pearl? You seemed pretty keen to join Steven as he went to the Pink Compound; his original home...what happened there?"

As Pearl was her only little insight as to what really occurred. Steven mentioned little, but going from how often he can dodge the truth, there was a lot more than did happen.

"He saw his father...he saw his friends..." Pearl continued, her voice almost monotone and lifeless.

"We fought...we _fused_..."

Fused? THEY FUSED? By this point, Connie's blood had started to boil.

"All for a reason....all for a purpose we had been so successful at. We may or may not have slept in the same bed..."

WHAT?

"You....you _must_ have tricked him!" Connie called out.

Pearl took another sip, unbothered by Connie's ire.

"Oh but Connie...I asked him. I got his consent. I did not touch him. I simply...was doing some work that I have planned. Something you might like...or not...it matters little."

Pearl placed the book down on the ground and stood up before the flummoxed pregnant woman standing there, ready to punch for two.

"You still have a part to play in all of this too Connie. Maybe it's the reason why you're here..."

Connie stood back, raising an eyebrow and utterly confused and what Pearl was aiming at. Pearl put her hands flat together and pointed the tips towards Connie and her stomach.

"I've been teaching Steven Code. Do he did tell you about it?"

Her eyes narrowed. What in the faded world was Pearl talking about?

"Code? What Code?" Connie queried.

It was then, Pearl formed a grin that sent chills down Connie's spine. She'd never seen the Priestess like this before. An aura of pride and arrogance and poise blended into overly still frame of confidence.

"Powerful, Psychic Magic. _Much more powerful_ than Gaian, Miserian _or_ Tempastan. It is going to be the key to solve all our problems. However, some of the spells often have a price involved..."

Connie blinked. Was this the true magic of Queen White that Pearl was talking about? What was it and what price had to be spent?

"I taught Steven how to write basic spells. Silencing individuals was one of them. He was able to pull it off quite nicely. So humans can use the spell without much of an issue because you can either chose what you put into the pool to make the spell work, especially some of the stronger ones...or else it will pick that price for you. Anything from a bit of your stamina...which for Gems, its nothing...but for humans...well, if you're not careful...it might use your life force."

Yes, Steven was strong enough to use it because of what he was. A Gem. He would be able to use them without too much of an effort.

"The bigger the spell, the bigger the cost." Pearl continued as she had her hands behind her back and started walking around Connie in a slow pace, keeping her lulled eyes on the woman, whom continued to standing there, her eyes still wide and her teeth clenched together as tightly as her fists were...unsure of what to make of all this.

"But you'd be surprised how some of these spells can be when someone like Steven uses them. _Endless_ potential. He will be able to save this world by sacrificing the Spirits of the Queens. But sadly, his.._.tether_ to this whole debacle will take him with them. It is but a sad fate."

Why was Pearl so casual about it then? Shouldn't she be distressed? Shouldn't she be worried that Steven was going to be nothing more than the dust in the wind after this?

"But you! _Connie_...you can write his fate! " Pearl declared, jumping behind Connie as she grasped the woman's shoulders so suddenly that Connie gasped in shock, looking at the almost maniacal face of Pearl and resuming silence out of pure fear. She stood out to stand in front of Connie with her back to her, as she waved her hands in front of the big picture frame of a sketched photo of the original Crystal Priestesses.

"_We_ can write his fate! We ask but a small favour in return, but this way, we can save him Connie!"

Connie wasn't sure, as Pearl turned around and put her right hand on Connie's shoulder, as Pearl rested her index finger on the womans chest.

"All you have to do...is consent. Provided, you haven't told him the news about..."

Connie watched as Pearl's finger dropped to her bulbous stomach. She swallowed, shivering as the feeling had Connie begin to sweat with anxiety.

"No...no I haven't." Connie said, almost squeaking her words out. But it was then she realised the extent of Pearls request.

"Wait, you're going to...."

Pearl's grin had to be the creepiest thing Connie had seen all day.

"Oh but Connie...we'll _need_ to. How else will we pull this off? After all, you can always make more...right?"

That wasn't the point. Pearl didn't really grasp the concept of all this...human stuff. Connie debated on talking to her mother about this before she was going to be absolutely certain that this is the direction she wanted to take. Yes, she wanted Steven to survive but for the exchange of another? Like everything Connie had to come to know in this harsh, dry life....was it even guaranteed to work? There was always a percentage for failure. She sighed.

"Let me think about it." Connie replied.

Pearl dropped back and distanced herself, keeping that grin of course which festered Connie's anxiety further. So she turned to leave, her feeling more worse than she had been before entering.

"Good good, please do. Now it will be a while until I have the Code completed. I'll need to run some tests soon, so don't go too far!" Pearl called out.

Connie's chest was now left in a blend of horror and complete and total dark pit of guilt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll clear up most of the magic that is conducted in this AU with the help of TV Tropes descriptions;
> 
> Gaian Magic deals with Natural Magic with a bit of White Magic. It's not well known how this brought forth, but they usually take praise into the preservation of life and protectors of the weak, however they were the original developers of potion based spells and enchantments and plant based ailments. Post-Sin, Queen Blue uses that magic more so, stolen from the Pink Compound by her agents. These days, the Gaian Knights only have a few select Witch Doctors still capable of using the old magic. Most of the time now they use more brute force as opposed to relying on magic itself. Hence why the Pink Compound has so many Quartzes that revel and glorify power through raw strength and Gaian Knights having more humans in their ranks able to conduct the magic.
> 
> Rose was given the position of an Affinity Child; (basically a VIP of the Knights due to her being a founder) and was loved and hated in some circles from some of her more controversial actions. Her ability to heal was her most notable and such a sight inspired Gems to sway to the Knights side and their cause to bring the Gods back.
> 
> Miserian Magic deals with Device Magic with a bit of alchemy and divination; however Post-Sin, a lot of that was discarded and lost due to the amount of resources required to implement, such is Icon Magic used to develop Spirit Seal Relics. So Blue took Gaian Magics and used potions and spells and had her Coven Gems produce stronger and more potent variants. Blue would never admit to this magic being stolen; she would claim that she was picking up on Pink's slack and was doing all the work for her.
> 
> The Weepers of Miseria were actually disbanded and adapted into the Corundum Coven with the Rubies and Sapphires that used to run it and so nearly all agents worked for Queen Blue. She would share some to Queen White and Yellow and some to Queen Pink, although she would determine who would be worth wasting sending the Pink's Compound.
> 
> Tempestan Magic deals with Magitek technologies with a bit of Device Magic. Utilising technology to advance themselves, Yellow believed in the might of her Gems and had her smart ones develop most modern Compound tech that she has only shared with Blue and provided some tech to White. Though Yellow never hears the results of the tech being sent to White but would conclude that she doesn't have a problem and simply produces more. She even helped develop Limb Enhancers in conjunction with Blue Diamonds for lesser developed Gems. Humans are tested more than Gems on that count.  
Tempestan Tellers had always been the proud bunch and had little to no issues in Yellow's claim that she was Tempastas in Gem form. Unlike the Pink and Blue Compounds, their Old Gods existence was never erased, so more people would know about Tempastas as opposed to Miseria and Gaia.
> 
> Psychic Magic deals with Formulaic Magic or Theurgy with the hint of Mentalism and a mixture of other magics like Alchemy and Device Magic; writing the Code that alters the state of reality, using Runes etc. Anything more so text based that requires Gem Glyph to be spoken or gestured in a specific way or order. It's extremely difficult to pull off in some cases and that it is said to be the most powerful of all developed magic. Said to have one of the components to the Unforgiving Sin, alongside the Spirit Seal Relics used to conduct it.
> 
> Blended Magic is basically putting this magic together, whether its part psychic or part gaian or what ever, inspiration or what not, can end up giving both interesting and disappointing results.
> 
> Hope this clears up a few things.


	49. The Maiden Reef

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Amethyst travel to the Maiden Reef.

Any time spent with Amethyst had Steven more relaxed. They could have fun, laugh and she was the most relatively chill of the Priestesses. Hearing what Garnet call her as one of the most invaluable of their ranks, Steven could vehemently believe it. Amethyst had been described as a "Fly on the Wall" so to speak, even though she didn't know what flies were.

The following day had the pair travel eastward towards the Maiden Reef, as Steven took his mothers sword, just in case of any emergencies. Amethyst described it as an old Summoning Temple, specifically for Pearls. According to info from both Amethyst and Pearl, the latters gem type were made in a specific manner contrasting most of the other Gems during the summoning processes. A lot of the elements and runes for one. Amethyst wasn't sure of the exact details, but she claimed the summoning Gems overall was a very complex process.

The day or so of travel was still and only the slightest breeze permeated around them...and it was actually colder than normal...fog escaping their breath as they walked. The sky it's usual dull and cloudy, but with the slightest tint of blue. Steven was wary of the many changes already happening to the world as he mustered up more Diamond Queens and Garnet had said it had to do with the balance of power in place, now, that theoretically, that it was only the one Diamond holding it all up on her own and Steven had this distinct feeling, whether it was the chattering voices in his head talking to him while he slept, that White could do it, without much effort involved.

Amethysts production was a lot left to be desired. The War that had the Empire lose loads of resources and Amethyst herself, claimed she was summoned with less than the proper amount required to create her. The Empire had to cut corners in terms of mass Gem creation but it was too little, too late as eventually, everything had literally run dry. Peridot had been made Pre-Sin where resources had already begun to dwindle so Amethyst; a Post-Sin Gem, had been made with the little that had been left, but in the end, was treated nothing more than dirt in respect.

If anything else, Steven took the inspiration from Amethyst's example. Decried of being weak, when she was able to use her skills in more creative ways; her penchant for thinking outside the box a tool...and not to mention she liked humans more so than many Gems, having known Acolytes like his father and many that had served with the Gaian Knights and those agents underneath the Crystal Priestess banner.

She knew gossip, she had her own opinions on many individuals based on word of mouth and her ability to hone in conversations without being detected. Shapeshifting, her speciality more so. Amethyst's weren't known for their tricks, basically being nothing more than a type of Quartz Warrior, but she had Rose to thank for encouraging her to try new things and be her own Gem, to be outstanding in her own field and not have to worry about being at the standards like the rest of the Warriors. He recalled one of the earlier conversations, in the dining room as the two ate together, many months ago...

* * *

"I can tell you many secrets." She said.

"About the Knights, about the Priestesses...about the Queens. Maybe you already know, maybe you already don't."

She didn't give a damn if it was an enemy, an ally...a friend. Information was critical and knowledge was priceless. She'd spent most time outside of the Temple, going from place to place, Compound to Compound (that being said, she had never found the White Compound on her own) finding out what she could, eluding security and so forth.

Steven asked her questions about his mom, which didn't surprise her in the slightest. She stated, she kind of knew more than Garnet mostly likely, though not as much as Pearl thought she knew, but she could try. She had begun to tell him that she respected Rose, that she didn't take 'shit' from anyone. Queens or the Knights. 

There was the inevitable question in regards to his mothers intentions and Amethyst wasn't entirely enthused, her smile had soon disappeared from her face and was trying so hard to maintain some face of neutrality, her true feelings about Rose's decision ultimately giving Amethyst quite the contrived platter of emotions as a result. Rose had been elusive for months. It wasn't out of her way to disappear for months, sometimes years. She was a very busy person. She did spend time with each of of the Priestesses, giving them the low down of how long she had left. At first, Amethyst, being the youngest, didn't understand what she meant, only that she was preparing some kind of ritual that had never been done before but given Amethyst a set of tasks to continue to enact before she ceased to be. By this point, Amethyst already knew about Icon Magic from recon missions but it didn't stop her shock trying to understand why Rose wanted to use the spell on herself. Even after Rose explained it to Amethyst, it still didn't make sense.

It wouldn't. Steven being the result of Rose's hard work with the end game plan in mind certainly would have seemed crazy at first. Steven only understood so much himself, knowing Rose had apparently exhausted a lot of options prior to this decision to create him.

Amethyst went on to explain how Rose had her collect materials from hard to reach places and apologised in advance for mentioning that she was only giving Amethyst nine months to do it. In that respect, some resources...can take years to acquire and most of that time is spent trying to figure out_ where_ to acquire them from. These places were within the White Towers in each of the Compounds. In her attempts to collect the materials, Amethyst described on how she almost died, risking her life to steal a portion of a Queens Divine Fluid, a gross acquisition. They used to secrete a special liquid from their bodies that could be used for a variety of spells and Gem Summons. However, to Amethysts confusion, Rose already had Pink's Fluid. She only needed the purple Gem to get Blue's, Yellow's and White's.

Going into more detail, regarding White's Fluid, There was a place that usually had scores of the stuff back in the day. It had taken bit of digging, but Amethyst did find one vial left behind for Rose to use. She had to thank Pearl to suggesting a potential location.

* * *

All in all, it still didn't given a lot to work with, utilising an unusual method for the Queens apparent demise. But Steven eventually found out through Amethyst herself, that the Maiden Reef had been the place she was talking about then. And so, on more notes to work with for their mission and from the words of both Jasper and Peridot for him to investigate, it was indeed, a facility to summon Pearls into existence. So their Pearl was practically born here.

"But to be honest, I know why Garnet didn't want Pearl comin' back here." Amethyst commented.

Because of the Security System?

"Don't tell her I told you, but she started actin' real weird before Rose went." She said.

Maidens were rare to find out in the open. Pearls themselves were usually with their masters and their nature was reserved, loyal and submissive by default.

And their Pearl wasn't.

"I know Pearl has been showin' the same exact signs...and I've seen how she acts around you. It means...something big is gonna happen."

It made Steven feel guilty that he hadn't quite told Amethyst or Garnet about what was going to happen to him. He figured Garnet suspected it and Amethyst might have known, but it sounded like she just wanted to hear it from him directly just to erase any doubt. As they talked, Amethyst talked to him in ways that, told him a lot about their past, like how Pearl had always normally been a hard ass and that Garnet's rules kept them safe for years before Steven arrived. Though, Amethyst would claim that Garnet was just as confused as she was, but never said anything, because as Head Priestess, she had to maintain a level of consistent, stable behaviours set by Rose a long while ago. Behaviours befitting that of the one in charge of their entire mission.

"I mean, I've obeyed this to the letter...and I just feel somethin' isn't right about all this and I feel like I'm the only one really questioning it."

No, she wasn't.

"Rose made you to destroy the Diamond Queens. After...what, she claims to exhaust every damn method in her disposal, the legendary, infamous Rose Quartz of the Crystal Priestesses, one of the original Founders of the Knights of Gaia. Leaves us behind to pick up her slack...at least you're less ambiguous."

Steven would have believed it all to be on the contrary, but he let Amethyst continue.

"I fight because Rose gave me a cause to believe in. I had no idea there was a World of Before. I don't even know what the sun and the sky look like, yet people shove descriptions in my head."

He could relate. She wasn't alone in that.

"Restore the world to it's former glory. Was the world that glorious to begin with? If the Queens had to...sacrifice the Gods to acquire power, would that mean that the world was already shitty before this? Why would you fight for something like that?"

Hmm...that was a valid point. The War between Gems and Humanity, the Diamond Queens getting the upper hand as the enacted the sin. And so, it had been like this for countless years, toiled the shroud of twilight and days blurring into each other like existence was just this single tier of life, of reality.

"And Mom...and Garnet and Pearl never told you about the World of Before? What it was like?" Steven questioned.

Amethyst brushed him off and grumbled.

"The basics. Rose _insisted_ I care because she wanted me to see it...telling me that humans and Gems thrived in colours that neither were afraid of. Should I care though Steven? Garnet and Pearl...barely comment on it. They're just...listening to Rose because she asked them to. Whether or not they wanted to. I'm so inclined to believe the pair of them are just as confused and that we've been thrown in a stupid lie."

Steven sensed Amethyst firing up, digging her fingers into her hair out of frustration. She was raised differently so...

"Word of mouth claims about those glory days. Pfff...so what..."

He'd never seen her so...tense before, the inner machinations of her impatience for just believing in matters for the sake holding tentative relationships with her fellow Priestesses. 

"The sun is needed. Rain is needed." Said Steven.

"It might be better than you expect."

It still didn't entice Amethyst, however, as she threw up her hands, annoyed.

"But this is the only life we've ever known! What if, we destroy White and nothing happens. The world remains as is...barren and useless as it always had been."

No...Steven wouldn't accept that. That this was his destiny, he so sure. Amethyst voicing that stance gave way to the remnants of doubt heading to his heart, where he didn't want them to. The fractions clinging on to his ideas and festering there. 

"We've got to have the ritual-"

"I don't mean that..." Amethyst called out.

"Rituals...some work, some don't. Rose spent ages with Garnet and Pearl, teaching them the spells we needed to win. Ways we could have an edge against the Queens. But those two won't tell you about the losses...how we've lost people because of how Rose was so confident, in throwing them to the fire that she was sure they would succeed."

Losses...Steven knew of those.

"You don't think what Mom did worked?" He wondered.

Amethyst shook her head, stopping in her tracks as she looked a bed of dead, white corals in front of them, bleached and covered in sand. Evidence of life, in what was called an ocean, now a literal, Dead Sea with skeletons of species known as fish, surrounding it. It was a memorial of has beens and partial evidence of what had once lived and thrived here. It was right in front of them...this was extinction at its most blunt. Steven's seen skeletons as he's wandered around the Drylands and imagined the people whom had been living their lives up until their unfortunate demise. Some, with rusted guns on the floor and a skull with gaping holes in them. If only they could speak.

Instead of being burning ghosts.

"She liked to experiment." Amethyst continued.

"She would tell me that this here would be normally of rich, vivid colours of deep reds and passionate yellows, underneath sparkling blue waters."

She walked up to the reef and cracked off a bit of the coral. Steven only understood through old pictures.

"Only to take bits for herself to use. Not sure if what she was trying to achieve with what ever these are; it was either hope for a lost cause...or despair for the known reality and using its a reminder of the past. She was always about the past."

_Always about the past_. Steven found two sides of his mother that he would have never seen otherwise...one a noble being in the attempt to build a better tomorrow and one a curious figure, ready to try the next result after dozens of failures. Pearl looked up to rose in a fervour of worship, while Amethyst was outright critical of the role his mother undertook. Amethyst may have been impressed first and foremost, but now, as it was making it easier for her to see, that she didn't see Rose as the savour everyone thought she was. The Purple Gem smacked her forehead with base of her hand, out of frustration.

"Sorry about talkin' crap about your mom..." She said.

"But I feel like you're the only one who might get what I mean."

In that sense, Steven deemed it necessary for he himself to understand what his mother was trying to get him to do. Growing up was confusing enough; his father maintaining a positive image of his mother right from the very beginning. The stories and so forth so one day, Steven would be able to fight for himself and for others. It was was necessary in these unforgiving lands and that with every monster he slayed, he would make it a bit safer. Rose had done the same mission, after all and it was the right fit for Steven to follow in those footsteps. Someone had to do it, someone had to do it with the legacy of Rose Quartz to catch up on.

Steven's only issue is that he didn't know all of her. There had been so much more to learn about her than anyone else was letting on, especially his Dad who painted this picture of her of being this loving being. That's probably why the doubt was clouding him so much. Hearing about her wasn't enough as knowing her, seeing her in person and allowing Steven to judge her with his own mindset would have been nice, if possible.

"I never knew her." Steven acknowledged.

"There's so much you can piece together on your own."

Was he glad to hear the sour sides? Not really, but Amethyst had been the most honest out of all of them. Pearl, he still was on the fence towards and Garnet would say something or not say anything at all. The latter more than the former.

"Ya Gem not talking to you?" Amethyst queried.

"Not to be judgin', but I figured you'd find out like she was talking to your in your head...that was my take on it."

No. Not really. He never really heard voices, unless there was some kind of magical influence.

"Nothing but my own." Steven told her.

Amethyst nodded. Though, it did make Steven begin to feel as if, well, Rose didn't exactly tell them what to expect. She was a Quartz Warrior, daring and smart...not the traits you'd normally see besides hyper-aggression and being brutes. A shine of kindness, the sun and the stars to her followers. Amethyst's comments actually made more sense. Steven wasn't raised by Quartzes but he had been around plenty to understand their general habits and ideologies...foot soldiers, grunts etc. Being in the Blue and Yellow Compounds told those stories too. It was the only Gem type he'd ever come to know and understand out of any of them and even Topazes being elite soldiers, were there too. Aquamarines were pencil-pushers, Sapphires mysterious, Zircons all but blunt and pompous. Categories that they would fall nicely into, as they were created to.

Maiden Pearls were but servant types. Rose roping in their Pearl to fight against the system made Pearls personality a bit more glaringly obvious too. 

So what about half-breeds? If Jasper conceded that he was a Quartz, then the respect gained, becoming their Captain, was all but a logical promotion to them.

"Hmm...well, that's good. Acolytes I've come to know over the years aren't so typical either. Some, like Pearl would worship the ground Rose would walk on, but others...they just wanted freedom. Some escapees from Compounds that Rose would find on their travels and she'd save...they would give anything just to kiss her boots."

Wait, was Amethyst jealous?

"I'm getting the vibe you didn't like Mom very much from all the attention she was getting." Steven concluded.

Amethyst gagged before she laughed.

"No no...it wasn't that." She said.

"I get what she's trying to do. She makes it such a huge deal and I've heard about the Cults from before I joined. Warriors used to make fun of em for the pointless crusade to make life better. And so I thought, with Rose, her proposition was better than how I was being treated by the Warriors. I could try new things, fight and develop a style for myself that worked, with Rose giving in suggestions here and there. I can't believe I used to think about how her opinion mattered to me...and how I felt she made my own matter. Everything was fine...until..."

Until?

"Never mind..." She said with a sigh.

"We shouldn't be too far from the Reef itself."

* * *

Amethyst had been frustrated, as Steven could clearly see. He wanted her to say more, but she refrained and refocused on the mission. And an hour later, they came across a huge structure.

A set of dark grey stone steps that lead onto a dilapidated bridge into a huge shell shaped complex covered in bits of dust, dirt and sand. The stereotypical ruin like scenario. Steven sensed something odd as he grabbed the Light of Psyche off his back, the ball glowing in the presence of the building, like it was trying to tell them something. He wondered if Amethyst still thought he was hearing things, but no, he wasn't hearing much...just the balls strange energies that fluctuated within it.

The big pair of sand smothered doors had an unusual sheen trying to push through, but the ball had since risen out of his hands and poured a beam of light through the doors cracks, much to both Amethyst's and Steven's surprise.

"Huh...so there is a proper key to this place. Let's pray it makes it easier for us for then on." Amethyst commented.

The doors opened up outward shortly after, as the ball fell back into Steven's hands. The two entered promptly and once inside, the doors behind them closed automatically.

The interior lit up with walls lighting up with light blue flames. The same sheen like the doors themselves revealed the overall decor to be pearlescent, showing of multitudes of cool colours. Murals of Pearls adorned the walls too. There wasn't even a spot of dust and the air was quite sterile and lukewarm. Magical like hallways with pillars of curled, shell like designs as they entered into a large room with white marble flooring in the interior.

According to Amethyst's description she had given him on the walk over, this particular room must have been a central hub to the multiple rooms that connected to it.

"How do you feel about Pearl, anyway?" Amethyst questioned out of the blue.

That caught Steven completely off-guard that he wasn't sure what she was asking him.

"Sorry?"

Amethyst smirked.

"Ya know...do you find that she's a bit...ehhh weird?"

Yes? No? Steven didn't have a completed opinion. She could act strange, then again so could Amethyst and so could Garnet.

"She's..alright....why do you ask?" Steven stated. He didn't want to include Drunk Pearl, although her comments about Connie, about Rhodonite...flecks on the mind that rustled about on brown leaves...

The Purple Gem shrugged.

"Come oooon she's not here. Tell me."

He didn't want to. Like his mother, there was a lot he could say about her. All he could say with utmost respect was that she was an ally. Unlike Jasper or Peridot, Steven could at least ask Amethyst, the Fly on the Wall, how she really felt. There had been suggestions about Pearl and potential secrets but she was dedicated to a fault.

"Look, people have been telling me weird things like, not to trust her and stuff. No one will actually tell me why though." Steven berated, having enough of people hiding information he might actually need to know and most importantly, if it affected their mission. 

Amethyst rolled her eyes.

"Bruh, even Garnet calls Maiden Pearls a complete mystery. You know how Gems were made in Kindergarten Temples? Why were Pearls made here? They're not supposed to be any different from any other Gem, yet this seems so...if you've ever been into an interior of a Kindergarten Temple, you'll know how different it will be to this place."

He's been told of them and he's seen pictures. Amethyst scanned the room, then went to the left part of the rectangular shaped room to a nearby door.

"Okay yeah I remember now...I've never been able to get through this door for what ever reason."

The room's structure was said to be designed in a way that it had multiple tiers of access. Some rooms Amethyst could easily get access to, but ultimately, not all of them had anything inside. No, it was only this one that had a real lock to it and now that they had the Light of Psyche, Amethyst pointed towards the ball as Steven approached the door itself. It did the same action as before, rising up from his hands to spear a beam of light into the tiny crack.

Opening up, the next room lit up once again. It had a bunch of statues in the middle, made of the different coloured stones; blue, yellow, pink and white respectively, as they sat upon square blocks, all nice and structured in a four by four grid. He recognised the statues as forms of each of the Diamond Queens albeit simplified. All with the hands raised, legs together and eyes closed and facing into the middle space between them. He recognised Queen Blue and Queen Yellow...though the head of Queen Pink looked like it had broken off and the head wasn't anywhere to be seen. And the one he didn't recognise...the one with the spiky hair and long strapless dress...he assumed to be Queen White.

She looked so...smug that Steven felt the intensity of his hatred rise up involuntarily, throwing a fist to his side as his eyes burned into her form. A form that wouldn't be around for much longer.

Amethyst ignored all that and walked towards the centre. She ushered Steven to pay attention, gesturing with her index finger to get him to come over. He placed he ball on the centre black square, which lit up. On the other side of the room, demonstrated a map of the entirety of the place they were in. A series of colourful dots adorned it....mostly cyan, but markings of dark blue, yellow, pink and white were across it as well. The locations of the Empires main facilities and the Compounds of Pink, Blue and Yellow were dotted to the south, west and eastern parts of the map respectively. It had to be White Magic that created this map as Amethyst used her fingers to zoom in and out. Steven noticed a lined out square to the side which when he approached it, it summoned a keyboard for him to type. He knew a bit about Gem Glyph to understand the lettering so he wondered...

He typed in White Compound, which highlighted a White Dot to the northern most part of the map as it blinked a few times.

"That's not right." Amethyst said.

"We've checked that section thousands of times....there's nothing there!"

He turned around at the statues as Amethyst tried to figure what they had to do. As Steven walked towards the centre again to look at the statues themselves, Amethyst decided to have a look at the input display herself to try and make sense of it. She kept rambling and muttering to herself, as Steven kept looking around at the statues again and again. He felt pity towards the three of them...their demise stuck in his head, some of their last words, burned into his brain...

_You...you are really are hers aren't you?_

_Goodbye Seven One Nine_

_I miss a lot of things from Before..._

Implications the three had suspicions...their voices whispering to him now. Blue was in total disbelief and Yellow believing her killer having his comeuppance...and Pink...

Steven was still under the idea that Pink was trapped underneath a great, big pile of guilt. A lot of it. Queen Pink and Rose were said to be close. Even at his mercy, Pink only spoke of her fondly...

He looked up at Pink's decapitated statue. If he could look into her eyes again, read more into it, get the truth rooted out...so he pretended Queen Pink was speaking to him, her ghost lingering within, copying her words and tone like she was repeating whispers in his ear.

_I see it so clearly, in your eyes...the irrefutable influx of energy that pours through them as if she was staring right at me at this very moment._

Queen Pink, like Rose, longed for the past. Longed to have her by her side once again, despite her betrayal. A pitiful type of love if anything else. Admiration of a well-spoken hero who had become outspoken in the end...but so much of it started to break down...and questions emerged like sand on the wind as they slapped across unprotected faces and stung the eyes. 

_Your words are hers. Your Pearl, hers...you stand in the very room where she once stood, by my side. No Gem would question your glory as they never questioned hers. No one questioned the most charismatic Gem of them all..._

So no one said anything. They remained vigilant in the face of uncertain doom. Pink especially, fallen apart without her beloved Captain to lead the Quartz Warriors and the Compound...which had prompted purposeful neglect and the dire conditions of the Compound.

_I see now, more so...that the questions I have been wanting to ask her...had I dared to...no, no...wait...dare is not the right word. Forget I said that._

But he couldn't. He never did. If Pink didn't want to ask her why Rose betrayed them, then what did she want to ask?

_Maybe you are the answer after all...the last spare...so even in her own sacrifice she did not want to admit defeat on a technicality. For she was stubborn...fearless in the face of the other Diamonds wrath...and you've become that legacy I see...being written as part of the eternal echoes of history._

Rose didn't fear the Diamonds, that Steven knew...but the terms, last spare? What did that even mean? He looked down, only now realising that her Gem was ripped out of her stomach, leaving a gaping big cracked hole in its place. This area...had ghosts that didn't necessarily burn...but they were awfully cold.

Lapis...Peridot...Bismuth...and whom ever was stuck in the Volleyball wasn't speaking either.

Souls of the Unsaved, the Queens punishment for their treason leaving them without sound mind and body. Blue, Yellow, Pink...no words, nothing. Roaming alongside silent communications as he looked down at his own stomach, thinking about his his Gem...imagining them swirling within him...perhaps, imprisoned, silenced like the spell, the hex.

He was Rose's Answer to the World's Problem. He understood that. Should he really be wanting to look into why Rose betrayed Pink and why Pink let it all happen as it did? It wouldn't amount to much thought but it just kept bugging him like an unscratched itch. Looking at White, it just instilled the hatred once again...not aware that a series of white, spectral hands had wobbled out and was rising to caress Steven's face.

The world faded around him into darkness, into the Speckled Realm which gave no end to the bite the air had now provided him. The flat, shiny tiled pearlescent floor remained, the statues remained...the ball remained...

_RETURN. ALONE. STARLIGHT. HOME._

Those words again, thrown about like confetti. The sound of chimes echoed...bringing about a scenario with more terror than Steven liked it to be. Vapours appeared as he breathed out. This was a bit familiar.

Giant white hands rested on his shoulders as he couldn't stop staring at Queen White. Her blackened lips, her otherwise, portrayed as perfect form with all the smug arrogance that it oozed in terms of the aura alone.

_Listen well child, Need not to fear, Find thine Beacon, With no one near._

He squeezed his eyes shut, the rants a bit much.

We cannot disobey, she controls us...

A tinier, more weaker voice, as the smaller hands felt his face with their finger tips.

_It is written...no words we saw...Pearls on command, on our Gods Law._

What?

_You're not her, but you're not she...you're someone better, but you're not free..._

The Volleyball was glowing white like it could have been the sun he's always wanted to see...was that the sacrificed Gem talking to him?

_Go see her, Psyche's in sand, she sees you, with sword in hand._

* * *

"Steven?"

Returning back to reality, he looked a Amethyst who was looking extraordinarily concerned for him. He put the ball on top of his bag, his shift in priorities already in motion as he was getting ready to leave.

"You look like you'd seen a ghost."

Never mind that, he turned back to the screen. The words muttered to him...he wondered.

Without acknowledging Amethyst at all, he returned to the pad and put it the sequence of words.

Return, Alone, Starlight home.

Going back on the screen, it revealed a huge white dot in between the all the other compounds. Amethyst approached it, sceptical about all this.

"No it can't be there either." She said.

"We've crossed that path over and over. Absolutely nothing of interest in that square in the middle."

Unless.

"Unless it's underneath." Steven said. He then froze, whirlwinds ceasing and finding himself with that zone of realisation once again.

In a way, pieces clicked together in a complex puzzle that he oddly found to easy to place. The Beacon, was in the centre that would lead him to the White Compound and most predominately, she wants Steven alone. A drive to complete this as soon as he could was instilled into his very being, like there was a rush to get it over and done with, more so than it had beforehand. Was he prepared? He had to go back home to make the final preparations. But there was no point. He had the Rage of Gaia to guide him and it was now, or never to get this done and get this done right. No hesitation or else. Was he going to die? Possibly. He learned what he could from Pearl and maybe enough to make a Rune Circle on his own now without her help. He had his guide book and the special chalk and the Volleyball. He wasn't excited, far from it. Steven felt awful...but it had to be done. White had to die. She had to...the more he thought about it, it was a choice he had to make. It was absolutely necessary.

He had a feeling this day would come, as he pulled out the tape recorder Peridot gave him out of his jacket pocket and glimpsed at it briefly. Steven was all for contingency plans, ways out of ordeals that in a way, might not be able to escape from, this being one of them. It had everything he wanted Connie to know and more and while he had a preference to talk to her face to face and to reveal everything, but he just didn't want to see the devastation on her face...and with that in mind, he suddenly became a coward, submitting to the fact that he knew he couldn't do this to her because he loved her so much...and the fact that he did and never had the chance to say it brought him all kinds of agony. Which was why he didn't want her to see him...

No, there was a good reason for all of this. He'll bring his love to Connie in the most incredible, most breathtaking way possible...bringing life to this world once again and that such a sacrifice would have Connie live her life with the pain...the loss; it wouldn't be a burden on her forever....

Tears dropped from his face...in the deepest of thoughts that she'll find another to love her...and that she will be as a free, his own glimpse of happiness and that she alone had been the most magical of anything he had ever been or had been a part of. It was a logical decision, but it didn't stop Steven from feeling all choked up inside. No amount of training, or preparation for the worst case scenario would put anything like this at bay...it was never meant to be easy. It was always meant to end with Steven at the short end of the stick. It was easier to accept to bring lucidity to the peace of it, instead of falling into rage and anger because once it was over, he would be free and content that it was the right thing to do.

Like Mother, like Son.

"Woah dude, what's wrong?" She asked.

Steven closed his eyes.

"What do you want in this life Amethyst?" He said, ever so calmly.

Amethyst blinked, unsure of how to answer.

"I...I...don't know...Steven, why are you asking me this?"

Steven's smiled disturbed Amethyst more than it brought her comfort. She's seen this expression before. She's heard that question before...over twenty years ago.

"Because...I know what I need to do...I want to give you anything you want. If only, you do this one thing for me."

Oh no...this was...

He took her hand, and placed his into her palm.

"I want you...to take this to Connie. Go back to the Temple. But...before I do..."

Amethyst pushed him back as she became furious with him, anger toiling more so as she cried tears of frustration.

"No, you are NOT doing this to me again!"

Again?

"Amethyst..." Steven said softly, alarmed at Amethyst's sudden shift in mood. She realised what she said, and whacked her forehead with the bottom of her palm.

"No no...I mean, don't do this...I know what's going on...you...you..."

She...knew?

"Amethyst I need to do this." Steven pleaded.

"Your opinion of the World of Before _will_ change...I guarantee that you'll love it."

Amethyst shook her head.

"NO I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT." She screamed.

"I'M NOT LOSING ANOTHER FRIEND. YOUR BUTT IS COMING BACK WITH ME TO THE TEMPLE...AND WE'RE GONNA FIND A WAY TO DEFEAT QUEEN WHITE WITHOUT RESORTING TO DESPERATE MEASURES."

Steven's head fell. His mother tried. Tried and tried and tried and tried and the conclusion had always come back to the original source of the worlds dry condition. Demise of the Queens and bringing the Gods back into the world...

"I've never seen the World of Before either..." He said, ever so calmly but unable to look into Amethyst's eyes.

"No living human has seen it...."

Amethyst stood there, beside herself...suddenly envisioning his mother standing right behind him saying the same exact words in complete sync.

"A future that belongs to both Humans and Gems." _A future that belongs to both Humans and Gems._

"They deserve to see colour and beauty and life." _They deserve to see colour and beauty and life._

"Are you going to deny that to them?" _Are you going to deny that to them?_

This was insane. No. She wasn't going to let him do that. She summoned her whip and lassoed Steven in an instant, bringing him closer to her so she could yell at him some more. Pointing her finger up his chin, she stared at the hapless hybrid as she made her demands clear.

"You know what I want Steven?" She put forth, her fiery eyes burning into him.

"I want this...sacrificing bullshit to stop! There's always a better way that doesn't involve Martyrdom. We're going back to the Temple...and we're -"

"**I'M GOING TO DIE ANYWAY!**"

Amethyst was taken aback as Steven flared up in a pink aura that almost took her out with his sonic scream, his own turmoil heating him as his body began to crackle, trying to strain free from Amethyst's grasp.

"_What?_"

Steven sighed...trying so hard to not ball his eyes out. Amethyst should have the decency of knowing the truth so she could better understand.

"I'm going to _die_ _anyway,_ Amethyst. Mom designed me as a Spirit Seal Relic. Like the Mirror, the Cube, The Sword and the Ball. She created me and once the Queens are dead, I will be too."

Amethyst looked at him weirdly, her face distorting to that of pure confusion.

"No...that isn't true Steven." Amethyst said.

"If that was true....if...if it was...Rose would have said somethin'."

No....she didn't.

"You said she was away for long periods of time." Steven continued.

"She-she figured... a way....alone and now....I must do this alone...I will defeat White..."

Amethyst lower lip quivered...this hurt too much. Surely, Steven must understand that, though Amethyst herself hadn't gotten all the details she wanted. They had to go back, talk to Pearl, to Garnet and Priyanka and figure this out with a completely better way to resolve their problems. It was possible if they tried.

"B-but...no...this isn't..."

Steven didn't have time to meander on this and neither should she. With his immense strength, he burst out of her wrap, destroying her whip as he stood there, looking at Amethyst with eyes full of pain and intent. He couldn't afford to not do this...it was cruel and it was going to hurt a lot. But they had made do without him in the past...he was never meant to be long in this world and so that he will simply be...someone who existed to make sure his mothers life work was done. 

"I'm sorry Amethyst. I really am." He said, putting the recorder back into his pocket as he walked up to her and hugged her tightly, much to her surprise.

She couldn't stop herself crying as she dug her fingers into his back, still suffering in denial.

"Don't do this!" She shouted.

"PLEASE COME HOME!"

Steven sighed. He had no choice.

"PL- ACK!"

She parted from him, noticing that the Rage of Gaia was stuck in her gut...she was in complete emotional disarray - Steven had stabbed her?_ STEVEN_?

"Forgive me...." He choked, frowning hard core.

Amethyst tried to open her mouth again, but couldn't even get another word in as she poofed shortly after, her gem falling into his hand. Placing his sword away, he took out the Tape Recorder and bundled both it and Amethyst together and put them in one bubble. He looked at them at the longest time, then looked at the statue of Pink, contemplating whether or not she's had to make choices like these...shreds of doubt came about in the idea that she never wanted to conduct the sin to begin with...

Steven knew he had committed his own, warping the bubble back to the temple. But soon, very soon... he would be granted the chance to repent...Gods forgive him as well...and whispers entered his head in the absence of the only sane being there, and the room had gotten that much colder...and the words of multiple voices decided to haunt him..

_You are not worthy of forgiveness..._

_But you are worthy of entering my realm...._

_Come on._..come on....**come on**...

_Just let us adore you...._

Gods forgive everyone but the Diamonds, as he walked out of the Maiden Reef steeling himself in and refusing to cry further, with his new mission his most isolated, harrowing and dark.

* * *

Back at the Temple, Connie lifted her head as she had sat by the Garden Bed reading a book that Garnet had granted her, watching Pink Chrysanthemums suddenly popped all over the place...and overflowing, much to Connie's dismay and utter confusion, as they grew out of control that forced her to leave the little green house before the plant swallowed her whole.

She sighed with relief as it stopped, only to be a bit disturbed at the sudden appearance of a Pink Bubble above the bed...with two objects inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as I envision Pearl as some kind of Mage, Amethyst is kind of a mercenary-rogue type person here.  
Also, this has call backs to some of the previous chapters and NOT just the quotes....


	50. Chances We Take

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Steven's actions cause panic, Connie recollects past actions and has an idea that...could work?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to go back to this fics roots in dialling down the dialogue.

It took them all a good while to calm down. Connie, still clad in her long and frumpy blue dress and her fathers brown jacket, took the bubble to Garnet and Pearl straight away in the Garden Area outside the rooms, with the latter two perplexed. Pearl popped the bubble as Garnet caught the tape and Amethyst' Gem in each hand. Garnet examined the tape, then looked at Connie, before Amethyst's Gem started to glow. Light poured all around them as Amethyst physical form returned to them and everyone was mystified at this event, with Pearl only calling for Steven as Amethyst came to.

What they didn't expect (except Garnet who moved back a few paces) was Amethyst's pure anger, her angrish as she looked around at first, summoning her whip and calling for, whom they presumed to be Steven. Connie had never seen her like this and it took Amethyst a moment to let it out before she was able to talk some kind of sense with proper language.

"He stabbed me!" Amethyst cried out, her mood warping into distress as she begun to cry.  
"He...No...Garnet, we need to stop him!"

Garnet looked down at the tape again, then back to Amethyst.

"That's the Tape Recorder Peridot gave him..." Pearl stated, her hands fumbling together.  
"Amethyst what....what's he doing? Are you saying Steven poofed you?"

Even more shocking as Amethyst nodded. Why would Steven need her gone? Her sorry state turned back anger against Pearl AND Garnet.

"Both of you...BOTH OF YOU...ESPECIALLY YOU GARNET, YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING!" Amethyst roared

Garnet walked forward and placed her hand on Connie's shoulder.  
"I saw nothing of the sort." She said.  
"My vision only saw you and Steven successfully completing your mission."

Connie tried to think...she still had the flower book in her hand as she poured through it, and tried to find the flower that had suddenly grown so abundantly in the Greenhouse. She stopped a page with a pink flower, resembling Chrysanthemum. Part of predicted love and loyalty, but it could also mean... Her heart almost stopped, looking up at Garnet. Yes. The mission was successful...but... she showed Garnet the picture. Garnet, normally one step ahead, adjusted her visor and hummed.

"Amethyst...Steven said something to you." She said. Amethyst growled, digging her fingers into her scalp and gritting her teeth in frustration.

"Come on, ISN'T IT OBVIOUS? The signs were there and I can't believe you didn't see them!" Amethyst called out.  
"He's going to see White Diamond on his own, HE'S GOING TO GET HIMSELF KILLED."

And the flowers were right...would be right, for that which had the secondary meaning of death. He had told her of his impending fate and how much he feared it so, but it didn't prepare Connie, whom again felt cold and motionless at the prospect of Steven dying and sacrificing himself, her world turning dark in an instant. Hitting her harder as she clenched her blue dress by her chest and other hand rubbing her belly. Pearl was beside herself, caught completely off-guard by his actions.

"What? No that's not supposed to happen!" Pearl called out. Suddenly, all eyes were on her. She walked back a bit, and bit into her fingers. The two agreed not to tell Garnet or Amethyst of their own plan, but this sudden spanner in the works was not what they had being organising in recent days.  
"I mean, all of us...there's no way Steven can take on Queen White. She's the strongest Queen and he's not gonna be finding her as easy to fight like with the other Queens! We need a plan, we need tactics!"

Well, that was all well and good, but...Connie's attention was to the Tape in Garnets hand, as the three argued as to what they were going to do about it. Garnet remained silent as Pearl and Amethyst yelled at each other, though she took Connie's hand and gave the Tape Recorder to Connie.

"Listen to this on your own." She said.  
"I will maintain sensibility in these two... The Tape should have everything you need to know."

* * *

Time did not slow down Connie's rapid heartbeat, the prediction itself, a horrible prophecy that would come to an end just like that, so soon... Connie had run into their room and locked the door, running to the couch as she sat down and examined the object. She's seen broken tape recorders on old travels with her parents, but had never seen a functioning one. She's seen Steven use it to hear Peridot's voice and he'd grown fond of the Gem, before had be released from her task. There was a part of Steven that Connie knew all too well that would be always be drowning in guilt No amount of good deeds or dedication to magical studies of the Drylands would erase that portion and that given he was the only unique hybrid in the world would not have been easy to live with. Connie wouldn't care less about what he was made out of. He saved her life, he loved her and this...child...if what Pearl's plan was going to conduct, they had the key to making sure Steven survived everything. She hesitated in playing the Recording itself, sensing his spirit within its form. 

Why was it now that Connie only noticed that this room was so large and empty. Decorated in finery and security but for two people...and with one person here it made her feel more alone than she had been during the tense nights spent in ruins, where danger had been closer...and the child in her stomach...it was an icky emotion she couldn't find an expression for, the living being in the womb that had been the source of heart ache and resolution of stupidity. Now it was a happy accident that by chance that it would ultimately succumb to be the part required so Steven could still live.

Pearl made it seem so...appealing that she doesn't even know the baby and she knows Steven more so that would rather spend such time with the man she loves than the baby she never asked for and that it would only serve as a burden and a gateway to, basically give birth to a new age. What is one soul against another few million born for the generations of humans to come? To resurrect the golden era of man and Gem to live in prosperity? To break the chain of events that would have had history repeat itself...from Steven's mother, to Steven...and his child. His...

Had there be a way to not necessarily be connected to this...curse? It had to be..a bloodline condemned to die over and over to save the world. This world...this dark, dry, dreary lifeless world. Steven was her life, her sun and her stars and they could have the rain in the shower where they would throw bubbles and could afford moments of blissful silliness. Years spent in hiding and hunting had thrive in this environment.

But then again, maybe she was too comfortable in this life. Maybe that suffering was what they had to do. To fight everyday to survive or not to live at all. 

Then came on the internal fights with the voices in her head telling that maybe, it was better that they kept their mouths shut and went on travelling the world to find their forever home...or even returned to the Hidden Village to where her mother and father had originated from. Priyanka had Connie during their travels, but she would tell stories about it was a well-fortified place, made up of humans and Gems, though never told her it was specifically the home base of the Gaian Knights. Her father Dougs concern was that if any of the Queens underlings were to capture Connie, she wouldn't be able to tell them where the Hidden Village was, while Doug and Priyanka originally had ideas that when Connie was old enough, that she would be told and that Priyanka had actually been trying to find resources for a potion that had been conducted on both her parents that would prevent them from speaking about the Knights and Villages actual location.

Connie was at first, mad that they had kept this from her but in recent times that they had found that she did well on her own and finding Steven and the Priestesses was one of their main goals. The Knights had been urged to follow up on a lead about defeating the Diamond Queens, based on old information Rose had provided to them before they left.

Had Connie had known it would lead to Steven finding out his true destiny (and she did not believe what he had said to be true) then she would have taken him far away from this place as she could. He didn't deserve this fate...but now...

Fundamentally, and as cruel and as hurtful and evil it could be in the eyes of the others, not to mention that she may never truely forgive herself, that she would have to consider Pearls option was indeed, the only way to save him. She was right, she could have more children.

Pearl urged Connie not to tell her mother, as Gaian Knights as the Maiden proclaimed that were generally protectors of all life, including newborns and to their moral standing and oaths as Knights, would never conduct spells of this messy calibre. Connie was horrified to no end, but saw Pearls point and never really told Priyanka what Steven thought was going to happen.

But now that Amethyst had returned and all was in the open, Connie's choices were more limited now than ever.

Her eyes were on the Tape Recorder still but she didn't want to touch it as it lay still on the coffee table. A piece of Steven within audible form. Just like the day and their dance in the school. The music that played that had feet moving and arms waving and bodies fusing into something new and exciting. The past preserved in music.

Connie had gotten off the couch and laid on the bed, her arms spread out wide and lengths stretched towards the end of the mattress. Songs, music...was there magic in the music? In the rhythm they shared? 

Pearl talked about Code. Code was written magic usually used by those in the Scribes of Psyche. Music was written and played and sung. It was a foolish idea to think about, Violins and Ukuleles and tunes about jam, soup or jerky. Life's simple pleasures.

Stuck in those blue stone Micro Temples and fabrics and cushions, making love in the light of their glowing wristbands or playing with their Purple Bear and Pink Lion. Connie looked at both her sides; The Lion was on the right hand side table and the Bear was on the the left.

There was a simple, human magic to this. A craft with no aim other than to indulge in such earthly desires. To eat, sleep, play alongside all the hard work to survive. Nothing about it all had contained anything Gaian, Miserian, Tempstan or Psychic. Just human...

Just human...

From everything Connie had been taught by her mother, father...Pearl too and Steven on occasion, was this...increasing dependence on powerful magics. Her father figured that he'll defend Connie and her child as his duty as a Knight, her mother would brew all the potions she could to protect Connie and her child...Garnet would use her magic if Connie would but ask, to see into her childs future and Amethyst would enjoy having someone else to hang around, showing off her own tricks...as for Pearl...well...

Steven was the only one who still didn't know, Pearl telling her that his jubilation would be noted, or despair otherwise, that she would declare Steven to be fragile in either case and if he had found out about the child he would be hesitant to fulfil his duties....a Spirit Seal Relic has their destiny written for them and that like Lapis and Peridot before him, he would indeed waste away into nothing, lost forever if they didn't do something about it.

Psychic Magic and the Code that Writes Reality. Connie was but a naive human with no inherent magical gifts that had been bestowed, but did it stop her from finding another way? No, it didn't. Part of her got frustrated at Steven, however, at his impending stubbornness and failing to give them the time they needed until they could conduct the ritual. However, as Connie looked down at her round belly, she wasn't far off until the baby was born. Time was running out anyway and that if they were going to do anything, it would have to be soon.

Getting off the bed, she went to her set of drawers and went to the second drawer, revealing the messy piles of paperwork Connie had been working on in Steven's absence; writing Code alongside Pearl. The spells were minor, only really doing small things such as, creating tiny fires and moving small droplets of water around. Anything greater in scope risked using her own life force. Pearl even said Connie picked up the scripting better than Steven could. (Connie knew she was just trying to put false praise on her just for encouragement.)

Getting the papers out and a pen, Connie tried to deliberate what kind of Code she wanted to write. She had her cheat sheets; the Gem Glyph alphabet and their written language structure and gone back to the coffee table and didn't care that she made a mess. What could she write that wouldn't cost too much to cast?

It was worth figuring this out now because she didn't want to waste any time in finding a better solution. Pearl had advised her as such, as to not rest on what cannot be done, but on what could be done. And the lessons she's learned so far, told her how she could survive the world.

**Trust your instincts...**

One of the first lessons Connie was told. Her instincts told her that there was a way. Any way that didn't draw on drastic measures.

**Not everything makes sense.**

No they didn't. But now they could make it seem that way if they tried.

**You gotta deal with the cards handed to you on occasion, head on.**

Perhaps, that's what really Connie had to do. Knuckle down the problem head on, typical Maheswaran attitude as her dad would say.

She had since, studied up on Icon Magic and the idea that was said by Pearl that Steven might be a combination of magics in his creation, as Rose never went into detail as to how he was made. Miserian, Gaian, Psychic...Connie wasn't surprised if there as a bit of Tempastan put in there.

Blending Magic, as Pearl put it.

A few hours later, Connie dipped into Amethysts Library, pulling out books she found on Miserian and Tempestan, as well as Gaian Magics. She had an idea...as she looked at the pile of rubbish that was nearby and saw a green plush with a big head and oval shaped black eyes. Perhaps...

The idea had a very small chance of succeeding. If it could work, then it could work.

Collecting resources wasn't an easy task either. She'd taken the plush from the pile, reminding her of the spectral form of a specific precursor relic. It was silly, but it grounded Connie that it might not have been as others would have doubted. Inspiration from her mothers experimenting and the teaching from both her and Pearl had Connie call back to her thinking of human magic. It was diverse but it wasn't just all the things that made one happy. It was all the thoughts and actions towards bettering themselves as mere mortals against a hive of an eternal species that had stagnanted. Instead of knowing, they had to create the knowledge for themselves. Connie had to survive in unique ways and so did Steven, because they were at more risk of dying than any Gem.

She had created a little Lab in the Greenhouse; the flowers that had been there earlier had dwindled back to a single Chrysanthemum. A white table with lab set Steven barely used and a load of paper work. She rested the green plush against the nearby potplant, which housed a Yellow Rose she planted not long before Steven and Pearl had arrived back from the Pink Compound.

What Connie had planned was a bit risky and dangerous, but she had to trust her instincts...not everything made sense, but the beauty of Code was making those things make sense. She had taken the tape and taken the Green Plush and put them together...though, she was missing something else...

A piece of Gaian Magic for good measure.

Her goal required something rather potent...She looked at the rose, then back to the Chrysanthemum. No no....

She did see something in the Cupboards in Amethysts Kitchen. So had snuck out of the room with a small vial and looked around for any Gems or her parents. When the coast was clear, she tiptoed her way into the dining room. That too was empty, thank goodness...it was hard to sneak around with a big belly in the way but Connie made sure that wasn't going to slow her down. Going into the kitchen, Amethyst was no where to be seen as she walked over to the Fruits and Vegetables area and found the Cupboard with the Pink Liquid, though she heard the doors open behind her as she forced herself to hide behind one of the benches. Amethyst had stormed and had begun muttering to herself. Connie felt her heart rapidly between again as she held her stomach, feeling queasy from dropping down too quickly. She could see Amethyst's legs as she went and opened the fridge, stuffing herself with goodness knows what and wolfing it down to the aggressive grunts of displeasure.

The purple Gem was really pissed off from Steven's apparent callousness in diverting everyone away from him, while she was sent back. Though, Connie wondered what else Amethyst knew. She had been there with him so what had actually hit him that badly that forced him to act on his own accord? Strange...very strange...the thought of Steven wanting to accelerate his demise quicker was troubling; owing to the fact that this was something someone else embedded into his brain...which made more crucial from Connie's experimental spell to work.

Though she did hear Amethyst mutter important info...

"Stupid Rose...why did she do this? Amethyst commented.

"Stupid Pearl and Stupid Garnet. I saw the map in the Reef. Center of that stupid thing is right in the middle of the Compounds and the White Compound is to the north...but noo....we have to sit here and wait for a dumb plan...echhh....stupid Pearl...I'm glad I never told her we went to the Maiden Reef."

The Maiden Reef? So Amethyst knew where Steven had gone to. Hmm...it was something Connie could work with, but the Maiden Reef...what was that? Connie swallowed, as she strained against the weight of her stomach, her knees struggling as she had to maintain the most uncomfortable squatting position possible and wondered how mother coped...

It was a relief, however when Amethyst left, though it was still a struggle for the ages as Connie tried to get herself up, getting herself out of breath as she did so. Relieved, she took the pink liquid out of a nearby cabinet and poured a bit of it into her vial. She returned the liquid and cautiously, made her way back to the Greenhouse. Doing so was a task and a half, trying not to spell the vial as she had to keep check around her. Once she had gotten to the Greenhouse in one piece, she spent the next hour writing up more Code, feeling anxious and hoping that this wasn't a waste of their time...

She took a deep breath, her hand on her stomach as she began to write code...and stopped dead as she felt a kick on her hand. Her eyes widened and a hand was left on the bench, trying to hold on without falling over. A pain struck down her spine as all the warm air in the room disappeared for that moment of pure disbelief. The hand that kept her stable started to shake, as she couldn't help but rub her stomach. A pulse so electric it brought Connie back to her knees....no...she didn't need this...as the tears began to flow from her against her will. 

What was she _doing_? This was Steven's child....yes, Pearl may be right in saying that this would either make or break Steven entirely but...it was his too...it was his...and Connie would believe, in her heart of hearts that he would want this child...and that he might know because he was...ignorant, blind..or paying too much attention to Pearl and maybe that he was...in love with Pearl because...who in their right mind would love this bloated girl here, struggling for the life of her, trying to figure out why she should care about the World of Before? It could be just her, Steven and their child somewhere nice, far away from this place where they were forced to do horrible, terrible, disgusting acts just for that fraction of a chance. 

No...Steven wanted Connie to see this world in its greatest glory. Connie was a horrible person in thinking that his goals were less important than that of the smallest parts of existence. A soul against a million or others, generations formed because of his efforts. Steven had to fight...but he couldn't fight fate. Connie could. But right now, she desperately needed the right person to get this straightened out, to find the sources of truth and everything in between. Mysterious uncovered by the right individuals. An individual she prayed could be brought back to them and would apologise to them profusely for dragging them back. But right now, they were the only person who had the potential wealth of information required to suss it all out for them and would promise them, to return to their slumber, once their task was done. 

Connie shot right back up again, although still felt queasy. This is all Connie really could create and create it she had to. She wondered if she knew enough and hoped like hell this was going to go the way she wanted it to. The Code she wrote, implemented everything. A rune drawn in yellow chalk on the brown bench with elements of the tape recorder on the right, the green plush, with the faded word 'alien' written on it in the middle and the vial of pink liquid on the left. It was odd how magic like this even existed and the practicality of it was dumbfounding. Even if this didn't work, Connie just had to keep trying. Anything that didn't resort to the worst solution for the worst case scenario.

It didn't make Connie's guilt any less, however.

Once the preparations were there, she took the piece of paper and raised her left hand and read the script repeatedly in Gem Glyph. Blending magic was hard and harsh enough with two schools but all four? It had to be. Pearl concluded that the Unforgiving Sin had been made with all four so why couldn't they do the same here? She read the script in full, but...nothing happened. Nothing moved. Connie sighed...no. She had to do this with effort. Sometimes it doesn't work straight away, Connie assumed. So she tried it once, twice...

This was making her very nervous and as soon as she subconsciously felt her stomach again she felt the kick. Internally, Connie screamed as she scrunched her eyes and tried not to think about the little one inside of her. But if they could keep trying, so could she. She looked at the papers again, adjusting and rubbing out text as she needed to and tried again.

Several times.

Nothing changed.

Emotional wouldn't have been the word Connie used, sitting down on the floor like she had given up hope like it was a resource to be sacrificed. She could rewrite it again, but honestly, she was no Gem. She wasn't anyone. She wasn't a Witch Doctor naturally...she was a mess of a human being, spreading her knees out as her head fell into her lap as she wept. Her mother did say that she would get rather moody. Knowing was one thing but feeling it...it was intense...depressing and it felt like she had the world on her shoulders, the right action to take being the hardest one. Steven was not meant to die. Steven was not going to die.

She got up again, with what will power she had left and went over her notes again...what was she kidding...she needed a Gem for this to work. Had it be done before? Connie couldn't say. All the studying in the world to forge such an impossible spell. What was missing?

Part of her script required mentions of life and love. Tether the life of an age old spirit, lost on the Beach, for their love to this world still exists....

Looking at the table...she realised that nothing on this table resembled life or live. The Pink Liquid was magical and life giving but it wasn't life itself. She looked at the Yellow Rose, then looked at the Chrysanthemum...she took the flower from the garden and planted it into the pot alongside the rose...then redid the rune as it placed the Green Alien still in the middle, but added the pot to a new circle behind the rest. Clearing her throat, Connie tried once more.

She repeated it several times...when...energies started to pour around the the remnants...unknowingly, pink energies started to flow from Connie as well...no...this wasn't meant to happen. What did Connie miss? Oh no no no no...

Magic of yellow and Pink was mostly seen in a swirl with blue energy encasing the green alien and white energy becoming the sphere to contain the energies themselves but more pink energy was coming from Connie than it was from the plants and the Pink Liquid, as yellow streams came from the Tape Recorder. She couldn't stop it, long after she stopped her chants. She almost slipped over on to her back, tearing up again as the Green Alien rose up into the air, glowing brighter and brighter before the light dissipated.

Before her, descended a green gem with bright yellow pointy hair, short with a simple green shirt with a yellow star on the chest stockings and a pointed visor, her eyes were closed, then reopened as she tried to get a sense of her surroundings, before looking down at Connie.

"The young Acolyte." She said.

"You...brought me back?"

Connie had barely sat upright as she leaned against the table behind her, finding herself slipping down at a relatively slow rate, shaking in fear. The Gem jumped off the table and examined the bench as she rubbed her chin and talked to herself.

"Fascinating. You've brought me back with Blended Magic? Very impressive for a human..."

Connie said nothing as she looked down at her stomach, too fearful as anxiety clogged up her throat. She tried to stand herself up again, swallowing her pride. No...she had work to do...right?

"Peridot, wasn't it?" Connie asked.

Peridot nodded.

"Yes. It is me...I presume you brought me back for a reason? Actually, I'm surprised I was brought back at all...how is this magic possible? With these...less than favourable resources and tiny space...how would this kind of magic even work in these conditions?"

Connie had been hoping Peridot would answer that question for her...part of her should have been relieved that it actually did work. She wanted it to, but doubt was eating away her very quickly.

"I'm not sure..." Connie answered. Though her worries now had increased tenfold. How did she do this and what else did she give from her persons. She was very hesitant to check on the baby now. her hand hovering above her stomach, shaking briefly as she so wanted to touch it again.

"I...made a few guesses as to.."

"CONNIE-"

Oh no, it was Pearl. 

Connie shook her head. No time to explain.

"Peridot, we need your help. I..."

Peridot looked at the nearby door and nodded, then looked at the table, tilting her head a the objects...namely, the tape recorder and the Green Alien plush. She then took the Green Alien, however, and examined it with caution, closing her eyes then nodded again as she talked under her breath.

"I understand." She said bluntly. She gave the plush to Connie.

"What ever this advanced spirit seal relic thing you have created is going to do, it will tie me to this world for as long as you need it to, for what purpose is required. Let's see if I can..."

Her form then disappeared into green smoke, before being absorbed into the plush itself, much to Connie's confusion.

"Oh good...this works." Peridot continued, her voice a bit echoey.

"Take me with you...we'll get a chance to talk properly when we can, go."

* * *

Connie left the Greenhouse shortly after, and damned herself for not closing the door to the main room as Pearl stood there with an odd smile on her face, her hands in front of her. Connie wasn't entirely sure what this meant.

"Yes Pearl? Sorry I was studying." She said as she walked up to the tall Gem.

"Get yourself organised, it's time." Pearl replied, ever so softly.

What was odd was there was no mention of Garnet or Amethyst. Surely, that what ever they had discussed...had Pearl told them about.

"Of course, right away..." Connie responded.

With that, she was still too terrified to touch her stomach and dreaded what was going to come next...


	51. Loneliness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven travels the Drylands for the first time on his own in months and reflects on a previous conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Steven and Doug chapter, I hope you enjoy! I know I enjoyed writing it.

Alone.

Alone again.

Just like it was when he left the Pink Compound the first time around. The eery silence...the constant dirt, dust and sand and only voices of the wind to keep him company, echoes of the past that he'd been told to avenge and monsters that he had to slay to survive. It would make him believe the last year (he couldn't tell how long anymore) was nothing but a dream, spent and spoiled within the safety of the temple he'd spent years trying to find.

But now...

Each footstep was his own...and no others surrounded him. Ruins of an ancient town, walls of light blue with roofs ripped off, possibly by a storm. The skies were different however...he was used to hues of grey and brown, evidence of the clouds so desperate for anything, that they took up the dust within them. But they were a new colour...cyans and whites. The world was much colder than he was used to experiencing. Nights could be freezing, but this was, what Steven considered to be the smack in the middle of the day. 

Other than that, Steven wore what he always wore. His tattered salmon pink top (Pearl always insisted she fix it up but he never let her) his brown leather jacket, his jeans and brown boots that walked over aged and cracked roads. His journey was not the same however...Steven knew the end was coming its way, its form but a Dust Devil, rearing its ugly head to face him and holding out its hand and expecting the toll to be paid any day now. He will pay the toll, it was the matter of when.

Being alone, however, created conversations within his head of old fond memories. Starting from the Pink Compound. His youth, spent with humans and Gems. It was rough, but the more Steven perceived it, maybe it was never actually as bad as people made it out to be. It just got worse when he got older and conversations with his Dad would bring up how his mother would talk about how good the World of Before was. Constant comparisons to then and now. But this life, had been the only life Steven had ever known.

Sure, the Quartz Warriors were abusive and could be down right nasty, but overall, there was a strength in their union. Steven found it amusing, that they had no idea that he was half a Quartz, but overall, treated him like one of them never the less. Jasper was harsh and brutal, but she taught him how to fight without using his power, because she could see how endured in Arena Matches against the other compounds and toughened him constantly, raising his skill levels. Gems and Humans, he'd come to know.

Guitars, songs and bonfires, bottles of Wavebreaker and boasting while they sat in a circle and talked and laughed. Steven tried to keep his mouth shut on Jaspers behalf, but there were many things they had welcomed him into when their moods provided it. Before chaos ensued and behind closed doors, they had taken him to their barracks courtyard and were probably the loudest bunch of rough heads he'd ever met. But he sung for them with a broken guitar that one of the Quartzes had been rather fond of and repairing it each time as he tried to sing tales of glory and violence as they wanted him to. It was the only sense of power that Steven had with them, serenading the brutes and turning them soft with his voice, even for a single night.

Was it any surprise that taking down Queen Pink had Jasper reallocate the position of Captain to him? Perhaps. It would be when he was with humans that he could see how awful their treatment of others could be, that he would take the fall for them because he could take it...the unfortunate would not have to take the punishment but even so, it would hurt Steven more if others were penalised for being out of line. His father more so.

Steven had been used to this life so long that, everything he was told to fight for was nothing but a myth and legend...would his life turn out to be the same for his sacrifice?

Maybe. He would exist as a legacy to infamous Rose Quartz...actions told to make life better for all with the bright blue skies and the shining sun, opening the curtains to how life had been and the Faded World would cease to exist. Steven's purpose was the force the gates open as its fabled key, but would be stuck in the lock for eternity.

Doubts and contradictions riddled his head as he stopped in his tracks and pulled out his blue bracelet and stared at it for a moment. He then looked to his side, the wind picked up and curled dust into a shape; an echo of Connie as she stood by his side. The way she had opened so much for him, while at first, hostile, but he'd come to appreciate her dedication, her heart and soul for being there with him thick and thin, loving him, touching him, kissing him...making him feel good inside and out, laughing with him, playing with him...being there, a point in his life he'd never felt so compelled to protect...a reason, a _why_ to fight...

Her hand reached out to his but as Steven went to touch it, the dusted echo disappeared as Steven quickly retracted, overwhelmed by gesture as he froze, then begun to shake as he sobbed. He shook his head to get rid of the tears and carried on walking....picturing last nights talk as he did so...

* * *

Memories poured back into talks from the night before his venture to the Maiden Reef, with her father, Doug. The man was quiet, but one day as Priyanka was busy researching in the Library and Doug had asked Steven to come into the back room behind the dining area where the pair had made their home. It was surprisingly humble, but Priyanka had her bench set up with plants hanging off the stone walls on the right hand side of the room. The fire place was right at the back and they had their own little comfy double bed on the left hand side. A place meant for Acolytes but otherwise, this was their home away from home.

Steven had entered and sat down on a wooden chair, looking at Doug as he worked on a small black rectangular box. He had the lid off and on the coffee table as he worked an interior filled with wires and the walls a bright yellow, using pliers and screw driver.

"Do you know what this is Steven?" He asked.

Steven shook his head. No, he had no clue.

"This is what the Tempestan Tellers call a Magical Decoder. Did I ever tell you I was raised as a Teller?"

No? This was a first.

"No sir, you didn't." Steven acknowledged.

Doug grinned.

"I was born into Exile. Humans that were discarded years ago, a lot like the Gaian Knights and the Hidden Village. Except my ancestry ties into humans that were simply banished from the Second Compound that never ended up going to the Third or Fourth. My father used to tell me, humans that failed in the Arena too many times were sent out to die. I'm not sure if that was still common practice."

To Steven's knowledge, humans that lost too many were indeed beaten, but the Patriarch would intervene and set those humans straight by deliberately putting through punishing tasks that they would either survive or die from. Steven did not want to think about those figures.

"Anyway, if they survived being attacked by monsters or from dehydration and starvation, they would find the Hidden City of Exiles; much like the Hidden Village of the Gaian Knights. You'd be surprised how many human settlements exist outside the Compounds."

Yet Steven hasn't seen any of them.

"The two places share resources on occasion and share spells to protect the settlements. While we are mostly free, unmarked unlike Compoundees, each of us has particular Circulatory Charm respective granted by our talents, like Gaian Magic or Tempestan Magic, that will only show the settlements to those granted permission. So I would be allowed back into the City of Exiles and the Hidden Village because I have been given the Permission Enchantment."

Fascinating. It would protect them from the Empire by basically obscuring everything to those not within the know. Swallowing a potion or holding some kind of device to as a identify friend or foe sort of thing. Reminded him of the glowing bracelets.

"How did you and Priyanka meet?" Steven asked.

Doug grinned.

"Not too dissimilar to you and Connie." He said with fondness.

"Out in the fields, collecting resources and data. I was told that I might meet other humans but this time I was almost bludgeoned to death with a two by four as I came across a basement searching for materials. It took her a good surprise or two to realise I was not a monster. Fun times."

Oh.

"So we travelled for a while and she took me back to the Hidden Village; granting me the spell to allow me to see it with its beautiful pink, gold and green glory. We fell in love and that I became part of the Maheswaran Clan, a family of Witch Doctors."

It _was_ very similar...except for the bludgeoning with the two by four part. Steven had a scimitar pointed at him instead. Steven knew the tale of them going around the Drylands to find Rose Quartz, only to find Steven instead, as they would need to hunt down the Precursor Relics to take down the Diamond Queens...and now they only had one left to take care of. So what did any of this have to do with the Magical Decoder?

"Amethyst was kind enough to retrieve this for us a bit after your travels to the Yellow Compound. As a descendant of a Teller, we were still taught the intricacies of certain devices, their circuitry and so forth. I only know so much Gaian Magic from Pri, but ultimately, I know enough Tempestan Magic to help with repairs, but not really to create my own devices. It was Pri who asked me to retrieve this device, after finding out about it."

Looked complex. He only wished Peridot was around to help them still.

"What does it do?" Steven questioned.

He watched as Doug squinted, raising his hand towards the table to try and fail to get a screw driver, only for Steven to reach over and hand it to him.

"Decoders aren't the most common devices out there. Queen Yellow was particular in terms of what magic was what. Devices invented to determine the origins of anything that the box could scan."

It could be useful. If only there was a specific reason to find out why, other than the obvious tells of what kind of magic was what.

"So, Priyanka wants to find something out? Is there something out there you're not entirely sure of?" Steven questioned.

Doug stopped momentarily, looking into the fire for a few seconds, before he resumed work.

"Well, there's plenty." He said.

"After this is all over and when all the Queens are gone, the Knights will want to try and take control of every bit of technology and magic that they can get their hands on. Old relics retrieved from ages past that some just can't quite understand. If we knew their roots, then we can use the left over magic to further improve lives for Gems and Humans."

Sounded reasonable.

"But what about the Exiles?" Steven asked.

Doug laughed.

"Them too. They're eager to help the Knights as long as they keep things mutual. Tensions come and go but it's always been like that. We all want the same thing in the end."

Which Steven found to be important. Eventually Doug sighed and placed the lid back on the device. He tilted it around, as Steven could see one of the sides having a hole with a faceted crystal within it. The other side had a thin slot.

"Okay should be good to go. On Pri's request I've actually improved the list of results which can be retrieved, like components used in spells and relics for example. The language had to be changed to Common so its actually readable by normal humans. Now, I just need to make sure it works."

Steven hadn't had much to lose. If he figured it would assist in anyway, given what he was made out of, then he would love to contribute to this experiment.

"Try me." He asked.

Doug's eyes widened with surprise.

"Try you? As if you want me to scan you?" 

Steven grinned as he nodded. Furthering the cause of research sounded fun anyway and what harm could there be in finding out the joys of the magic that made him? The obvious Components would be human and Quartz and it was said he was a combo of Gaian, Miserian and Psychic Magic, maybe a bit of Tempestan if he was a tad lucky. It might also help find out how to free Bismuth too! Oh there was so much potential to be had, the more Steven thought about it. He put his hands together, getting off the chair as he stood in front of the fire place with his arms wide. Doug blinked and adjusted his glasses, a bit uncertain, but otherwise went along with it, standing up and pointing the crystal end of the device towards Steven.

"Okay, stand still. There's a button to the right hand side here.."

With a simple click, the crystal itself turned yellow first, then beamed out a ray of light first, then warped down into a thin line that scanned Steven from top to bottom multiple times, flashing a multitude of colours and even his Gem had started to glow underneath his shirt. It tickled him, the pings of the magic going back and forth as Doug examined the process, intrigued by the devices abilities and display. The ray opened up again, before the device shut down. Now they had to wait for the results.

"Alright here...what?" Doug said with the hint of annoyance.

"What's wrong?" Steven queried...sounded like his thousandth question for the night.

Doug groaned.

"Language hasn't been fixed. It's still coming out in Gem Glyph." He said as he rubbed his face in frustration. He put down the Decoder on the table, before he collapsed like a rag doll back on to the chair.

"Sit."

Steven must have been standing there for a good while before he even budged, sitting back down again as he looked at the fire and absorbed its warmth and brightness. It was lot like him; it would only burn for a limited time. Doug turned his head to the boy, eyes half lidded as Steven was too busy looking onward, the fires reflecting in his eyes with a lull expression.

"Thanks for helping anyway." He said.

Steven turned to him, smiling.

"Not a problem. I mean...even if it doesn't work..."

Doug chuckled.

"No no...it does work." He corrected.

"Back in the City, we're taught to experiment. The Gaian Knights frown on experimenting too much outside the rules of what they allow. Its one of the sources of dispute between the groups. They try to keep the relationship amicable, but you realise these are two completely different groups, grown and raised in different ways. We taught our daughter to be careful, to be cautious because every day may be our last even we take every single precaution possible and all the steps necessary to survive. But in that sense, we felt it would be wrong to rob her of love, and told her that if she felt so strongly about something, that she could keep it, treasure it, protect it, develop it..."

Steven felt the slight crack in his heart, his eyes slowing making their way back towards the fire, looking forward and seeing much passion with in the flames, as he let Doug continue.

"Experimenting within the Exiles is said to either pull people apart or push them together. Because we knew humanity was a powerhouse back in the day. It's been forever...this mix of former Tempestan Tellers and Miserian Undertakers that had generations within their Compounds, forgoing the past and then being forced to leave and rot, only to rediscover themselves and go on the track to investigate what humanity once was. Love, was agreed to be the strongest magic humans could provide. Gems, of course, thought of this literally and began to scour the world for this special human magic."

It was nothing new. Love was more confusing to most Gems. Reproduce and shoot out more was all they could known. An organic process, nothing more.

"Pri thought it was silly, but it made sense. Gaian Knights think they know love but all they know is cause and effect. Their protection of life was not because they loved life, but Gaia represents life itself. Their desire to spread life as per the word of their God is their true endeavour."

Without much life around them, there wasn't much for them to hold power over. Their God was dead and that the endless realms of death were an affront to them.

"Queen Pink was a symbol of that life once...then stolen by Rose Quartz."

How much of that was true and how much of that was based on story tellers was something Steven couldn't really answer, but from his dry words alone, it sounded like Doug had contempt for Steven, going from his furrowed brows and intertwined fingers.

"I...I am not my mom...sorry I can't tell you much." Steven told him.

Doug looked down.

"I'm not blaming you specifically Steven." He said.

"The Knights were after answers. But, with the cusp of the problem almost done, I've been given a good position in understanding the reasons behind Rose's decisions. A renegade in the eyes of the Knights, but she was constantly welcomed in the City of Exiles. Her trials and tribulations into finding ways to restore the world were looked upon as a positive, even if she died. You'd be surprised how many of us just die from accidents alone...but as long as there was a reason for it, we will gain more knowledge from it from their noble sacrifice."

Steven gulped. He wanted to open his mouth to explain his predicament, but whether or not he understood more so or even suggested that it was the right thing to do...but Doug was a hard man to please. Connie would say that he'd been always like this no nonsense individual who did everything he could to protect his family. Steven was willing to pay a very high price to protect everyone he could.

"But I must admit Pri has stopped me from doing plenty of stupid actions over the years. We'd argue but it was normally for the best." He said.

"I'm sure Connie has done the same for you."

Yeah...plenty.

"She's lot like her mother in so many ways." He said with a smile.

"Stubborn, but dependable. A rarity in some parts. Especially if you're out there on your own and you only have your instincts to guide you. One wrong step and you're done for."

He wasn't wrong on all counts. It was hard to find that source of comfort and restraint and where Steven had become lost, Connie would always find him and bring him back, no matter how far.

"I was like that for years." Steven told him.

"Fighting monsters...the Unsaved. On my own...with my shield and my wits. Until I met your daughter."

Doug chuckled.

"A man like you has a strong purpose to this place. A thankless task no doubt, as those who do seem to find it have commented on in the past. I mean, killing the Diamond Queens? A service done to this world and no one appreciates it."

Steven wasn't out there to receive thanks.

"I'm not here for compliments." He told Doug.

"I'm doing it because I have to. It's the reason why I am here...nothing more..."

Doug raised an eyebrow as he slouched forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he rested his chin on his hands, his glasses shining from the fires glowing reflection.

"So you're told the World of Before is a beautiful place to be in...is that not another reason to succeed?" Doug questioned.

Really, Steven had debated that in his head. He was ready to see everything present itself in a fashion that was a simple breath of new, enticing air. Finding the solution wasn't exactly simple or easy, so travelling to find it out had him think plenty of the positives. Though, on that revelation of his true existence and the outcome of his years-long battle with the Empire, he was at first, fearful and still was on the fact that he was indeed going to cease to be, but he had to accept that fact sooner than later or else the Faded World would continue on forever, as long as one Diamond Queen was left standing.

"It is." Steven replied, though his tone was rather tired.

"I want people to discover this...but..."

Doug turned to him again, as Steven's face fell into his hands.

"There's something you're not sure of. Isn't there?" Doug questioned.

There had been a lot Steven wasn't sure of. 

"What if what we're doing doesn't work?" He said.

"What if all this is pointless and our time spent trying to kill the Queens has only ever amounted to more chaos. The other Compounds are still...mangled without their Queens to guide them."

Doug lifted his chin as he ran his thumbs around each other. Then looked at the piece of paper printed from the decoder, tearing it off and showing it to Steven, who lifted his own head as looked at the paper slugged in Glyph, though even he couldn't make the context, his vision blurred by impending tears and the text too small to read in the little amount of light the fire gave.

"Surviving this world has always been about making do with the best you have. Perhaps, even in the World of Before, it has always presented challenges. A Dead Queen is better than a Live one, for example. That didn't print out what we wanted but it might be exactly what we need, even if it takes a little bit more effort to figure out."

And the humans are a little bit more free. Not completely, but it was a start. It made Steven wonder, that in the end, his fate to die alongside the Queens...was favourable to live knowing that they're still around, their existence would persist in being the blight to the world and a total affront to the Gods. He gave the sheet back to Doug, who put it into his pocket. Priyanka could always use Pearl to help translate the text anyway.

"Even...accidents have their uses." Doug said.

"We learn and grow from our mistakes. The Exiles are less harsh about them than the Knights are."

As Steven had come to expect. 

"Do you think what we're doing could be a big mistake?" He wondered.

Steven felt like he had to be a hundred percent across the board in his decisions. It had to be right, it had to work....he couldn't afford to make mistakes this time. He's made them, he knows...Queen Blue, Yellow and Pink; all amounted to hard work and effort, even as the situation constantly changed. The deeds were done. Queen White was not going to be that simple...and that was the only fact Steven was so sure about.

"Maybe." Doug admitted.

"I thought being a father was a mistake, but I grew to love being one anyway. Because I felt needed, I felt the purpose to nurture and protect and love my daughter as she grew."

Feelings Steven could admire, deeply within himself. Not that being a father was on the horizon for him for obvious reasons but it was a wonderful thought to consider. His Dad would say he was grateful to have Steven as a son, that one shining ray of hope in his life, teaching Steven that love can be found with those in all shapes and sizes and personalities...and those changing shapes and sizes and personalities along with them.

"You might still have to." Steven said, feeling the oncoming guilt tense up his throat.

Doug furrowed his brows in confusion.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

Connie knew. Pearl knew. As for everyone else....

"I...don't know how long I have this world Doug." He said with sadness.

"I feel like...this is what I meant to do and that everything has to work because it seems like a complete waste if it doesn't. Those results will tell you I am Advanced Spirit Seal Relic, combined magics of Gaian, Miserian, Psychic and don't be surprised if Tempestan was in there somewhere."

To say Doug was shocked was an understatement he took the paper out of his pocket to get quick glimpse just so his jaw would drop so harshly.

"Steven, I had no idea." He said, putting the paper back.

"Who told you this?"

Steven wiped a tear from his eye.

"When I was in the Second Compound, talking to Queen Yellow." He said.

And by the power of the Queens, they would know more than anybody.

"Ancient Miserian Magic indeed." Doug hummed as he held his chin.

"So we know the Mirror, the Cube, the Sword and the Ball..."

Steven stood up as he prepared to leave.

"So you would understand that I'm doing to die."

Doug blinked twice, standing up as he approached Steven, grabbing the sides of his arms and held him in place, preventing the man from leaving.

"No...give...give me and Pri a chance to figure this out." He claimed.

"There is no way you're a Spirit Seal Relic...a living relic I might add."

Steven looked away, his eyes fixated on the flames again.

"It's fine." He said, voice weak.

"I've got it figured out already. Mom made me to kill the Queens, absorb their essences and then...as soon as they're all gone...there's a special ritual involved that I would assume would need to be done so that the essences are returned to the Gods."

Doug didn't want to believe it, his mind racing for logic in all of this. Why didn't Steven tell this earlier? Why didn't Connie or Pearl say anything? There was something weird going on that Doug couldn't quite put his finger on. Returning the Gods powers did seem like a logical decision but would it grant their forgiveness enough to restore the world? Or would they continue to punished everyone and still have everyone covered in shrouds of the dull and faded. Colour, unable to exist any further than it had been in this day and age.

"We _can't_ be assuming Steven." He claimed.

Steven squinted.

"Did you just say-"

No...that wasn't it.

"Dealing with the Power of the Gods is a huge source of magic that I will be able to certain to say that is going to incredible dangerous and most likely uncontrollable...gah..."

And now he was frustrated.

"Even now, I've been too blind to see you hold the power of Gaia, Miseria and Tempestas within you. Your very being. One misstep is going to be completely catastrophic and we only just realise this now?"

Now that Steven thought about it, he was right. He held the power of three Gods within himself. It wasn't exactly the number one thing on his mind.

"Well, once you're back from the Maiden Reef, I propose we head to the Hidden Village. If we talk to the Elders there, they'll know exactly what to do."

Was that really a plausible thing to do?

"We're running out of time Doug." Steven said.

"I don't need the Knights to do anything...I know what I'm doing."

Somehow Doug really doubted that.

"Do you Steven? Do...do you want to do this?"

No. But it was all they really had. Even if the Knights do help, there was something_ written_ in Steven's heart that _compelled_ him to do so. Somehow, even deeper, the Knights would see the exact same solution, just like his mother did. He didn't know how they would find out, but Steven determined that the length of time they had was slowly dwindling and he had none to spare for the Knights that didn't hold his mother in the same regard, the same confidence in the absolutes that Steven yearned for...it would make his decision making all the easier if it could be.

"I have no choice." Steven proclaimed.

"I'm not sure...because I don't know the results that this will have. But...you've given me more reason to let it go as it needs to. Because either way, the Queens will be no longer be a threat. Peace will be restored even if the sun and the rain and the moon and stars never return. You have each other. Gems and Humans will find a way, as they have been in the Faded World for many years. The Gods might find it in them to forgive us...and one day you'll be rewarded."

Doug sighed...Steven still didn't know the truth, from the last time he checked with Connie. How long was this going to go on for? Doug felt the need to tell Steven he has more to live for than he realises and that leaving this world, regretting that what he has created will not their co-creator? Doug never had the pleasure growing up with his...

"There's always a choice Steven." Doug said stern, his fingers digging into Steven's arms.

"You are the one, sole individual in this existence who has the most power to make any choice right now, devastating or otherwise. No one, at this moment is as powerful as you...sans maybe Queen White, but remember that, before you do something stupid...because Connie might not be there to stop you."

Good, he hopes she isn't.

"I don't want her to see me as I go anyway." Steven said, as he wrestled himself out of Doug's grasp.

"Her heart will break, for that I do not wish to impose on her and I do apologise in advance, but it will be restored. Love is human magic remember?"

Doug slapped his forehead in frustration. He wasn't getting it.

"It doesn't work like that Steven." He called out.

"I don't know what voice's are calling the shots in your head but I implore you to reconsider your options. I will not hesitate to kick your ass if you break my daughters heart, understand?"

No, Steven did not want to break Connie's heart at all. He just couldn't figure out a way to do it gently. It was only ever going to hurt temporarily, Steven believed. That with that pain will come happiness in the horizon in some way shape or form. However, what Doug did not expect, was Steven flaring up, his eyes turning hot pink as Doug suddenly let go of Steven's arms and stepped back, fearful for his own life.

"I _love_ Connie..." Steven said with tranquil fury, his hands in fists by his side. Doug noticed more tears running down his cheeks.

"I am doing this...for her. I want her so badly to embrace new found freedom more than anything....and I will _make _the Gods give back everything or I will do it for them, if you so imply that I will have the very power to do so."

Doug had this feeling he was actually giving Steven terrible ideas. No wonder Priyanka insisted on doing everything. He blamed his natural nature as a Exiled Teller.

"I doubt Connie cares about all that." Doug told him, feeling the heat more so from Steven's form more than the fire place.

"She cares about _you_. I know she loves you too...and would want you to consider what you're going to leave behind if you made this as your ultimate decision...because I can guarantee you now Steven, without any shadow of a doubt in my normal, human brain, that Connie will follow you, where ever you go. I did the same with Priyanka and sometimes love will make you do stupid things too. Because those...are happy accidents...learn to love them..."

What kind of accident could Steven find worth loving? To be worth living for and embracing?

"And I love Connie too. Just...what you plan to do Steven...just think...and think hard about it...I beg of you. It doesn't have to end this way if you just try and...I dunno, do what the Exiles do...think outside the box."

Steven calmed down considerably after being completely silent for a minute. He looked at his hands, then looked at the cautious man standing before him. He didn't deserve to be yelled at. He had a point. Steven did not want to break Connie's heart. But he also..had to think of something he could do. Something his mother never considered. But it would take precious time away from Steven. But then again, what is time worth to humans when it isn't for Gems? He heaved a huge sigh, falling on his hands and knees, his head fallen as he tried to breath and look like he was begging for Doug's forgiveness.

"I don't know what will happen." Steven muttered.

"I'm under this pretence that dying is going to be my only option. But the Gods..."

Doug rolled his eyes as he knelt down before Steven, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You hold all the burdens in the World right now. I can't even imagine to think of what you're going through." He said, low and passive, before it turned serious and aggressive.

"But you hold strength. I know that, I see that in your eyes and your heart. But you know, you are_ not_ at the mercy of the Gods or any Queens. They are at _your_ mercy. And if I were you, I would not hold back on anything...you give everything you have and then some...because you can _demand_ anything and there will be more to pay from them if you do not get what you want."

He raised his head, looking at Doug, the latters expression firm. Steven stood back up, still feeling ashamed.

"Look, if you really think dying is the answer and in the end it that's what it takes, then by all means. But for goodness sake, _don't_ abandon Connie. What ever after life you find yourself in you come back here, even as a ghost or I swear to Tempestas I will bring you out myself."

Amusing to think of Doug of people breaching the barriers to the afterlife and stealing Steven's soul just to kick his ass. He would be able to do it too. Somehow.

"I can't guarantee much Doug but...we'll see." Steven told him.

Doug nodded...shaking briefly, before he threw his arms around him. It didn't bother Steven that Doug was a bit smaller than him in height, but the awkwardness of the mans head on chest had Steven subconsciously wanting to escape, but ultimately, comforted the man as well.

"Just...learn to experiment boy, you'll get there."

* * *

Dougs words of wisdom hit Steven harder than anything. Looking down at his Gem, Steven didn't even consider using the power of any of the Gods. It hadn't been on his list of priorities to take care of, but so far, he's made do without them. Still, he felt absolutely terrible for his actions, but he was so sure that this was going to work. Because he definitely did have the power to make it happen. It was the matter of how.

It took him a good few days of travel until Steven came across a huge thick forest of dead trees. Checking his map, this had to be the place. He pushed through and cut through branches with the Rage of Gaia, until he found what he was looking for. A large open space in a square shape, but Steven could sense a lingering power here. It was colder still, as vapour escaped from his mouth. He went to investigate this area, but then stopped as something had hit his nose. A small, white speck. His eyes crossed to focus, until he dipped an index finger to grab it as it stuck to the tip. Was this rain? No, it couldn't be. Another fall on his arm...and another in front of him. Looking up, he could dozens, no hundreds of these small white specks that fell from the sky very slowly. Rain was said to be heavy and fast from the sky to the ground, this was like that, but in slow motion.

He would have been overjoyed to see this, if not the gut feeling that something was horribly wrong here. Punishment for hurting Amethyst perhaps? Maybe...cursed? Blessed? Did it matter anymore? He put everything down on the side, trying to find anything he could use to help find the so called Beacon.

The earth eventually smelled like chilled petrichor in a way that he had never ever smelled before in such a vast course. The dust was still potent, but this overwhelming new smell almost threw him off balance a bit. His nose was starting to get red from the chills as Steven rubbed his arms for warmth. It was in the middle of the day as he could recall and it had never gotten this cold before, even with winds on some days. Speaking of the wind, a gust suddenly lifted up around him, like a whisper in his ears.

He took his blade and went into the middle of the patch and dug out a circle. Why he was doing this? A Psychic spell that would allow him to reveal anything in the area he wanted...a spell Pearl had taught him just in case. A simple rune with a few Glyphs on the outer rim, he placed his hand in the middle, his eyes flashing between Pink, Blue and Yellow as he did so. He pulled his hand up, muttering the chant as he crumbled the dirt in his fingers.

Moving back, the circle lit up with white lines...and eventually the ground beneath gave way, revealing a set of white stairs beneath. Steven nodded, grabbing his things before he made the descent.

The spiral stairs took him downwards around a pole, the only light showing was from the inner pole that the stairs had been curled around. Everywhere else was dirt...then some kind of steel plating alloy of sorts...then the further he got down, it was pitch black everywhere else but the stairs. Steven swallowed. He preferred the touch of the white specks in all honesty.

After a good ten minutes of climbing stairs, he saw something unusual. A white, crystalline circular raised pad. He's never seen this before, but otherwise could sense the magic from it. He could see the the Diamond Queen logo on a nearby console. Walking over, he placed his hand on it and as soon as he did so, the whole thing lit up with a giant beam of light.

It had to be some kind of...teleporter maybe? His head was making guesses with the possibilities but he had no way of knowing unless he tried.

Stepping onto the pad, he waited...

_Come to me, Starlight..._ a voice whispered

And with that, his body disappeared from the mysterious room as the beam burst out brighter, before it disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, Doug took Priyanka's name as they married in this continuity.


	52. Pearl's Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl tells Connie a bit of her history with Rose.

When asked if Amethyst and Garnet were coming, Pearl _insisted_ they go alone.

Their aim, their goal to steer Steven's eventual fate as a Spirit Seal Relic. Connie only knew so much from the hours spent into studying the many topics of magic, but ultimately, she wasn't entirely enthusiastic about the ordeal, given what was going to be sacrificed to make it happen. Even since she felt that kick, it breathed power emotional feeling within her being, flurrying electrical pulses into her brain that broke even with logic and insanity. Pearl's assurances were there for a good reason, but...everything about this was just so...wrong. Pearl was a Gem. The majority of Gems have had it against humanity as far back as Connie had been told by her parents all those year ago. Priyanka had told her, that Gems do not have the same needs and wants as humans and Pearl treated this as another Gem like experiment.

Walking in front of Connie, she had her fingers together, her eyes half open, her expression pensive yet lull, like this was a proceeding before the ritual could be conducted. Wearing her black jacket, cyan blue top and loose black pants and boots, The Drylands on this day were cool and calm, providing them with a tranquil walking through the dust and dirt, but even so, Connie already sensed the changes in the air.Though, with the lack of travelling over the last few months, coupled with the fact Connie had been heavily pregnant by this stage, not to mention the heavy load required for the trip, had make it that much more difficult to walk without needing to stop every so often for a few minutes break and not dehydrating from increased perspiration. Pearl never said anything, but Connie could tell she was griping every time Connie asked her to, forcing her to drink water in the meanwhile. Pearl put on that sickeningly sweet tone and always answered, 'of course' but the annoyance was easy to see underneath the curtains. And about an hour or two in, Pearl had revealed to Connie she knew a short cut. When asked why Pearl never told this short cut to Steven...she had gone silent, looking up before suddenly explaining what Maiden Pearls really were.

"Maiden Pearls are...created by Diamond Queen White to obey the orders of our masters...but...we aren't able to tell people about this."

Connie cocked an eyebrow, tilting her to the side at an attempt to find a ounce of expression in her dull inflection.

"Then...why are you telling me now..." She asked, skeptical.

Peal's head lowered. Not even bothering to look at Connie.

"Steven's interference has created a shift in the balance of power...and I suspect that he's finally infiltrated the White Compound....Queen White's focus is entirely on him and that his power, without realising, is greater than hers so she's deliberately weakened her illusions because she knows the endgame is so close, there's no reason for her to spread her powers as far as she had been..."

The fact that Pearl had possibly known Queen White herself was alarming Connie, clogging her throat with anxiety on such revelations that would have been nice to know earlier, without going through the hassle of Steven and Amethyst going to the Maiden Reef to begin with. 

"Entrances to the White Compound are everywhere and be only be seen by White's Scribes."

And that was even scarier to deal with. Connie had to know.

"So...what are your loyalties to the Crystal Priestesses and their cause?" She said, beginning to dive in deep to unravel all Pearl knew. This made her a trifle angry, but now wasn't the time to let rage hinder her. This was critical.

Pearl sighed.

"Rose....Rose said she would set us free...and I believed her." She claimed.

"But we cannot disobey orders from White and that I've had to do some unsavoury actions over the years to help Rose...but...also to help White."

So she _was_ a traitor. Connie stopped in her tracks, stomping her foot into the dirt with such vigor, forcing Pearl to turn around to look at the glare on Connie's face.

"Rose tried to cut the tethers that bound me to White. " Pearl said without missing a single beat.

"...only that the magic they tried complicated matters...like it had with Bismuth...but it had me sway more towards Rose's ideals than to White's."

Connie wasn't sure, though the energies around her turned green briefly, although Pearl's lack of response indicated that only Connie could see it.

_She's probably lying._ Said Peridot, spirit still bound to the green plush that was stuck in Connie's backpack.

_The spell that was cast on Bismuth and the Sword? Most likely a silencing spell._

That made...so much more sense the more that Connie thought about it, though it still didn't explain the reason why Bismuth was still stuck in the sword. The explanation given, similar to Pearl's part of the detail, the cutting the tethers themselves didn't do much else, other than damning Bismuth to a much worse fate. Connie wondered, if Steven had the power to allow her the peace and that he could do well to restore the world in a different way.

"What kind of problems?" Connie queried.

Pearl looked to the side, resting her chin her hand and place her elbow on her spare.

"Writing Code itself as you know...doesn't...always end with the result in mind. More often than not, incorrectly written or carelessly scribed Code ended in disaster..."

Or in the best of the worst case scenarios, they didn't work at all. She had questioned Pearls allegiances, although, she had used to talk about how she had served Rose without the lack of trust. Rose must have known how Pearls were made and made it her duty to destroy the curse that Pearls had suffered. It made Connie more cautious, more fearful.

"Are Maiden Pearls taught Code?" Connie queried, although she hoped Peridot could answer this too.

"Yes and No." Pearl answered.

"We know a limited amount...but it was Rose who taught me to use my imagination and allowed me to write what ever I wanted."

_A Rose Quartz has no business knowing Code._ Peridot commented.

_Someone had to have taught her to use it. Maybe it was Pearl._

Quartz Warriors; soldiers that favoured brute force over anything and everything. Ambitions to the strongest and the best of their ranks. Rose was supposed to be one of them, but she wasn't. Headstrong, arrogant, maybe in some circles that had been commented on by others so there were the Quartz's niches that fit in nicely, like leadership skills and power. 

_Quartz Warriors don't use a great deal of magic. Ask her how Rose knew the Code._

"How did Rose know Code?" Connie said.

They had since begun walking again as Pearl turned around and continued on their way and talked, she even laughed fondly.

"Rose was...so different...some suggested the summoning process for her was botched." She answered.

"Defective and clearly meant to be _shattered_ and _crushed._"

Connie could see Pearls hand raised in a fist, shaking it as she said that sentence.

"Before you ask, no. I don't think that's true." Pearl continued.

"Rose and I got to know each other better throughout our travels. Not to dissimilar to your escapades with Steven. We stole studying and research papers from officials and learned what we could. It was kind of exciting, really."

The sudden shift in the vibe, as Pearl eagerly talked about battles and nights of endless reads of numerous tomes and texts collected over the years, Pearl spending her time with Rose as they tried to figure out ways to take the Empire down. Their numbers had been so few and despite what the Gaian Knights believed, Pearl was totally invested in Rose's dream to set the world free...and that setting it free with Steven was a way of completing the lost set of time with Rose all over again and Connie should be excited too.

She wasn't. She would look forward to see what hadn't been seen but truthfully, the distress had taken its toll and Connie kept asking her self the thousands of questions on whether or not this was the right thing to do, whether Steven would approve of this method and constantly reprimanding herself from not telling Steven. Surely, he wasn't ignorant of the fact that she had gotten larger...he just never asked Connie or told anything that related to it. So Connie never even made the attempt to try to involve him.

Was that practical? Pearl warned Connie to let him to take the path necessary for him to complete his work, his similarities to his own mothers dedication admirable, beautiful even. Such tenacity despite the cost to himself. In this day and age that one less person in existence would mean more for those already existing and that they could make do with what they had...so it would not matter if it cost a single death...or several. Not to mourn the useless and feeble, for those who serve no real purpose. Or those who will serve a singular purpose and would be thrown to the dusts, that in their next life, would allow them to be more meaningful.

This world was barren from what had already been stolen from it. Death was everywhere and life was nowhere; a war of resources between single humans vying for survival. The everyday struggle for basic needs. Connie understood that she wasn't exactly planned either...and yet, they brought her up and raised her despite the cost to them.

Was that the main cause of her doubt? 

What meaning was there in death when the next life in this dry existence was just going to be the same? Why have human populations been sustained in Compounds and dwindling in the desolate lands around them?

"What are humans to Gems?" Connie said, not sure of what she was really asking, only craving the why...it even confused Pearl.

"Excuse me?" She asked, stopping again.

Connie said what she said.

"What are humans to Gems?" Connie said once more.

"Humans are fragile, mortal...why would Gems need humans?"

Pearl paused.

"Because humans..." She started to say...before silencing herself for another telling moment.

"I am not sure. It was the one question Rose could never answer."

Pearl made it seem like Rose had all the answers, otherwise. Dependent on the one entire figure who really cared about both, now that Connie thought about it. The power with words, that this one Gem once had, had taken over forces because she felt the conditions for humans were deplorable and was the only Gem in note that recognised that there was an issue to begin with. Surely Rose wasn't the only Gem to see it all this way...

"Rose...had her way of doing things. Raising her voice but never above another. She listened just as much as she spoke. She was a more just....leader than any Queen. Humans and Gems deserved more than what had been given...and the Queens had taken more than their fair share."

Clearly. Evidence enough in one sole individual they were trying to protect. Rose's choices, ultimately lead to a final decision that she had to give everything of herself, to provide the world another chance to thrive. That in a way, she could see that Gems would need Humans in a strange way, but not understanding how. Unless there was a true underlying cause.

_Creating Steven was her way of creating balance._ Peridot said.

_Gems...humans....I don't understand why they would need each other. But the Gods demand restoration and each species has their input and cooperation to how the world works. A half-breed who sees it from both sides..._

"Maybe Steven was the answer." Connie pointed out.

Pearl lifted her head again.

"I came to the same conclusion." She claimed.

"His status however, _is_ going to cause problems. Rose would not have planned Steven's demise as it was. Which is why what we're doing is so important Connie. Rose did what she could and we are meant to meet it half way. She had half the answer."

So...they really meant to figure out how to finish it on their own? Rose didn't have everything thought out...or she did...she had forged something but would never have been able to finish it.

_So then why didn't Rose find a more capable Gem to use as part of the Spirit Seal Relic process? Surely she could have figured out the second half of the equation if she was that intelligent_. Peridot theorised.

Hmm...the Green Spirit had a point. It was immoral and as far as the procedure to create relics was to put into practice, Rose could have made do with a perfectly adequate gem that was able to do so, so Rose would be able to test the grounds with a half-breed without losing herself. Experimental code and all. She kept Peridot's thoughts in confidence...an aspect Connie never considered...and she still didn't think Pearl was telling her the entire truth. But what choice did Connie have but to make do with what little they had to go on with. She didn't want to lose Steven and this made it all the more horrible.

* * *

It took them an entire day to get entrance into a cave embedded into the side of a relatively low mountain. Pearl used her Gem to create a beam of light so she could see, taking Connie's hand as to make sure she wasn't going to trip over anything. All this weight didn't help at all, as Connie discovered down the line that increased weight to begin with was a challenging ordeal in order for her to not fall over. Pearl had been incredibly protective of Connie since...and she had helped maintain the babies health all the while...well, her mother would, whom would pull strange faces as Pearl would always be in the room as Connie had herself checked at least once a week to check in the unborns progress...and with the same question of; have you told Steven? Would always have the same answer too...that was always prompted on instinct as Connie would turn to Pearl in that instance, whom had disapproval written all over her face._ No. I haven't told Steven..._

Rinse and repeat for weeks and months. Her mothers patience or professionalism helped calm Connie somewhat, always respecting the wishes of her daughter but also being constantly concerned over whether or not Steven was going to figure out anyway. Priyanka would be tempted to question if she had ulterior plans...but Connie could never say anything.

Because she didn't tell anyone...it had been the big secret between Pearl and herself...and everyone else in the Temple sans Steven knew she was pregnant and she would urge them not to tell him or say or suggest. Even then, were they were going to question what was going to happen afterwards?

Simple explanations...tears that would dry up in good time. And everyone was sworn to get back to a sense of normalcy and all their current dramas cleared up like a nice blue sky.

Except, Connie had never seen it.

Pearl had lead them to an open empty dead end of the cave. That was until Pearl beamed more magic onto the ground, revealing a white, round crystalline warp pad that sparkled into reality.

_So that's Psychic Magic huh..._Peridot muttered.

_I knew I was right not to trust Maiden Pearls..._

Psychic Magic...Pearl...was she really one of the obscure and unseen Scribes of Psyche then? For all her talk about how glorious Rose was...was that true loyalty?

"This should take us to a backdoor area of the Compound. It should be safe." Pearl told her, standing front of the pad, before turning around.

"What should I expect when we get inside?" Connie wondered, contemplating the First Compound in its design, given its importance and power to the whole of the empire; the only one left standing after the damage caused to the other three.

Pearl pressed her hands together in a prayer like formation, lowering chin as she closed her eyes.

"Magic like you have never seen." She explained.

"Humans...Gems. Perfect ordinance and structure. One toe out of line and you will suffer. White strives for perfection. She strives for the eternal beauty that blossoms within every creature....and takes it for herself. Her power over illusions is countered by Pearls. I know what is real and what isn't."

Would that mean...

"Is...is Steven in bigger danger then, because he isn't with a Pearl?" Connie questioned with panic.

Pearl raised her eyelids half way, her focus towards the ground in front of Connie and maintaining a stable, monotone position.

"I cannot say, but I would have no doubt White would want him to come straight for her. The greatest danger posed is their final battle. It_ is_ going to happen. She wants him there...it's the path she would lead him down upon that will test his resolve that I am mostly wary of that may do some damage before he reaches the inner sanctum. Our only hope is that he learns to shut her voice down before...."

Pearl instantly pursed her mouth turned around again, much to Connie's consternation.

"Let us speak no further." She said strongly. She then turned around with a soft smile that was far more disturbing to Connie, as Pearl lent out her hand, telling Connie to take it. The Acolyte was far more ill with internal turmoil about it all, but hesitation would get her nowhere....and would make matters worse.

"We must make haste! I have confidence that Steven will see this through and it is our duty, our destinies as Crystal Priestesses to fulfil Rose's wishes...and to finally find an end to this torment!"

With all the willpower she had, she took Pearl's hand as she stepped onto the pad, as Pearl warped them into the White Compound.


	53. Pale Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Priyanka finds out something rather damning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what's coming.

For all the work the good Witch Doctor did, it was meant to find out the truth behind the Sin and ultimately to find ways to uproot the evil.

She became most fascinated with Steven, although quite cautious given the roots. All her superiors had ordered her and Doug to do was find artefacts as ordered by their Elders, and searching for one their long lost Founders, Rose Quartz. 

Rose was a source of endless debates for a supposed hero and they were on the fence, but leaning towards her way as a rule breaker. Not only that but Priyanka didn't seem too enthused about trying to hunt down someone she once deemed a heretic. She wasn't so sure what would happen if they had found her or even if they could in their own life time. Priyanka knew she wasn't the only one whom had been sent out, only that she was just the latest in the line. 

Doug and herself spent years searching and happened to have Connie along the way. Even so the luck they had was minor and finding minor relics and objects of the World of Before were the only things worth and seeing the smile on Connie's face when they found something for her was everything to Connie and Doug; a subtle reminder of what they had to gain if they succeeded. 

So as they had gotten captured that fateful day, the only regret Priyanka and Doug had was that they left their daughter all alone. They had tried to prepare for the day where they would no longer be in her life and that would she indeed learn to defend herself, it all happened so suddenly, so unfortunately that they prayed to Gaia for them to keep their precious child safe.

Low and behold, Gaia granted them their Champion in Steven, Son of Rose Quartz.

Priyanka and Doug had talked about this behind closed doors, the implications of Steven's existence and the arguments spent on whether or not the Knights should be told of Rose's fate. But talking with Rose's Priestesses had opened their eyes to smaller truths; Rose's desire to restore the world had still been their priority and that killing the Diamond Queens had been their solution. The Knights had hoped it wouldn't have gone to that point, only that they were trying find their own way. Garnet would claim that the Knights didn't like the risks involved and Pearl would say that that the Knights were too fearful to come close due to the Queens Godly powers....and Amethyst? A young Gem inspired by a more reasonable leader, nothing more.

Losing Rose devastated them...because they were supposed to go by her word but didn't realise how much it hurt that the one they had been following for all these years had planned for herself to die but no one, not one of the Priestesses knew the method or spell conducted for her to create Steven.

It'd been on Priyankas mind for months to discover...and Steven managing to kill three of the Diamond Queens already proved Rose knew what she was doing. But how does a Quartz of her calibre become so strong and knowledgeable? Generations would pass without that question being asked until it was put forth by Doug...and Doug knew Quartzes from the Exiled and they had known about the legendary Warrior. It was passed off as nothing of greater interest until recently.

However, the pair were now in a new predicament. They couldn't get out of the back room because someone had locked the door.

Someone didn't want them to leave.

They called out everyone, but had gotten no true answer, as Doug started banging on the door and constantly calling out names, but it would seem the door was impenetrable. Had they been...betrayed?

"Should have known something was up." Doug commented.

"They don't want us to interfere." Said Pri, standing there as she crossed her arms.

"Why?" Said Doug.

"Don't tell me this is because of.....well...."

Priyanka had hunches but could never act on them. Connie's pregnancy and the like. Steven being the father was kind of obvious, but the fact he was just like any other human astounded her...if he had been anyone else, he would blend in with the crowd quite well.

"Because of what?" Priyanka asked.

Doug sighed.

"I'm surprised you don't know. Steven thinks that he's going to die."

Priyanka rolled her eyes, not taking him seriously.

"Against Queen White? He's afraid to fight her?" She wondered.

She was said to be the most powerful, after all.

"No." Doug replied. Though that could be potentially the case too.

"He was told by Queen Yellow that he's some kind of Advanced Spirit Seal Relic. Ya know, like the stuff we've been gathering?"

That was new. But it proved what Connie was worried about was right; he was hiding something. Steven having this thrust upon him was deeply worrying as Priyanka would have liked to have proof of that first. Though knowing how Icon Magic works, it shouldn't have surprised her. She was just too blind to see the evidence in front of her, blatant for all to see.

"You were going to tell me this, when?" Priyanka berated.

Doug groaned.

"My dear, I think talking to the Priestesses about this issue was a priority that would have involved you...but I needed their input on the problem."

Priyanka shook her head and pressed her fingers against her forehead in frustration.

"For goodness sake, you still could have consulted me first."

But it would have explained why Steven had been acting so strange. His dedication, said to mimic his mothers. An entity of flesh and magic, formulated for a purpose. Steven being a Relic himself was a definite explanation, but a cruel curse. A mother herself, Priyanka would never use Connie in that sense, only really wanting her to be happy and content. Priyanka could only be angry and her dislike against Rose had grown even more...how could she call herself a mother? A standing light of love and life, the sun pouring on all it could touch. Steven was expected to live and die by her word, her command and reflect on his entire life as being nothing more than a damned product of war. If Rose were still alive, she would have wrangled her fingers around her neck...and lashed out at how awful she had panned this all out...the wanton damage to a genuinely good man who cherished her daughter.

"Look I'm sorry Pri I...I wasn't sure what to believe..." Doug pointed out as he tried to put his hands on his wifes shoulders to massage her, before she walked away from him, standing around and beginning to make pace.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it Doug." Priyanka said.

"Look, we're not going anywhere, the Gems are out there and they do not want humans to be involved. Maybe they knew what was going to happen or they didn't. I don't know. We can spend our time arguing who's fault it is or we can get some actual work done."

Doug's brows furrowed in anger.

"Do you want Steven to die?" He asked her.

What kind of question was_ that_?

"How...no.....no Doug I don't. He's the father of our future grandchild...and he makes Connie happy. I just...I just don't know if him being this Relic is as all as we think it might be. I don't know how Rose made him, I don't know his composition or the elements used to forge a Half-human. half-Gem...although Miserian Magic is obvious if you consider Rose using her Gem to help make a part of him but that's besides the point."

It would have taken Rose months, years even to determine this sort of path and a great deal of courage and the sheer belief and determination that this what was required. If Steven could unite humans and Gems...but only to die for it himself.  
Rose left no real manifesto. Being brought up as a Knight, one would hear about the Founders, Queen Pink, Rose Quartz being the prominent figures in the history and both of them were just as controversial as the other. Rose stealing the Knights as a rebellion against the Queens because she was sad about how Pink betrayed the tenets of the Old Gods...alongside the rest of the Queens to their own.

Pearl had mentioned that Rose had used all sorts of magic in her line of work...and that her nature was to explore everything and anything to get where she wanted to be...but there were, unfortunately more failures than successes in her pursuit. 

She then noticed Doug deep in thought, his eyes narrowed. 

"You know you can talk about your ideas to me." Priyanka had to remind him.

His head popped up as his eyes widened slightly.

"Oh uh...well you mentioned composition...and elements. I got that Decoder working last night and by chance I actually got to use it on Steven...except the results came out in the wrong language...so it still needs tinkering...but..."

He had it working? He'd been fixing it up for ages and he actually got it to function? This could be useful and she would figure the language barrier to be nothing more than a minor setback.

"You still have those results?"

Moments later, Priyanka went to her scratched steel work bench on the right side of the room, usually clustered with vials and chemistry sets and cabinets filled with samples from plants and magical liquids granted through resourcing thanks to Amethyst. She put on her usual work gear; faded white cardigan and light pink top on top of her black pants and boots, with blue rubber gloves and a pair of protective glasses. She unceremoniously shooed off all of her theory papers off the bench, letting them descend to the floor as Doug became wary of his wifes mood when it came to trying to find out an immediate solution. She took the receipt from Doug and slapped it on the left hand side and a larger piece of paper on the right.

She had Doug trying to get the Decoder to work with Common, as in some cases Gem Glyph was a pain to translate normally. Witch Doctors were taught a sample part of it, mostly for some ancient Gem texts required for some recipes. Plus from what had already been collected on the field had often been a mix of languages, both existing and extinct.

It was generally faster to use the Decoder to make their work easier to deal with; using existing methods with Gaian Magical variants...so Priyanka took two vials and poured them into a beaker. One light pink liquid and one green and mixed them together with a spoon until the the liquid turned black. She took a white quill out its empty ink well and dipped the tip of the quill into the beaker and took to tapping the receipt first. The liquid at first, poured all over the text and absorbed it within ten seconds...and then went back into the quill shortly after and the entire receipt itself had gone completely blank.

Priyanka then licked her index finger with a touch of her saliva and dabbed it on the prick of the quill, before she pressed it against the blank sheet. Soon the results were plastered all over with series of texts, but had taken a good minute or two to spread across the piece of A3, demonstrating text equivalent in Common, although the process didn't always allow for completely one hundred percent accurate, but Priyanka made so with what she could see. She only had Doug work with the Decoder because she was sick of seeing blatant mistranslations with the Gaian method.

It showed her different pie graphs and percentiles based on the common magical methods, as well as components used for some spells. Most of the time it's common ingredients like with plants, flowers and extremely rare alchemical liquids sourced from old outposts. Paragraphs detail the breakdowns of each component that had underlying chemicals as well. As most the Magical Decoders broke down the aspects of an individual, no matter how large or how little they were connected to the magical world...it would give Energy signatures, Spell Construct Sequences and biological markers used in the making of a single being.

She could see the unknown power structure within the most unusual aspects. Diamond Essences for one, were those she hadn't been surprised to see; Pink Diamond Essence, Blue Diamond Essence and Yellow Diamond Essence. There were trace amounts of other essences poured in in extremely small percentiles, but the Diamond ones stood out the most alongside strong unknown magics. Priyanka understood the smaller ones were parts of the Unsaved Steven had accumulated during his travels and that these 'Unknown Magic Tier' essences seen were most likely the powers of the Gods and that all of these were merely the spiritual make up of the Gems he's killed; the raw magical energy that had been absorbed into his gem and able to flow throughout his body. The spell construct sequences were a bit more complex, and that the most advanced and intelligent of beings would be able to make sense of most of what was involved with the spell and what kind of magic had been implemented. As suspected, it definitely had the magics of all four known magics used...Rose had thrown everything at Steven to be who he was. But other than that, so far it looked normal (well what would Pri would classify as such) for what they had expected from the hybrid and his adventures, but there was something that was bothering her in some of the more biological parts.

Surface-level. like blood, skin cells and familial DNA commonly seen in Compoundee Humans. Yes, his father who lived in the Pink Compound so that wasn't what surprised her. The more she read in the gem side of things, the further she squinted...until she got to skim the parts that reflected his Gem. Something that was...fairly damning more so than anything. Something no one, not even Garnet, could foresee.

There was nothing that suggested his Gem was Quartz in origin at all.

Her eyes then widened at the proposed class type, as she was on the cusp of losing consciousness at this horrifying new discovery.

"_By the Gods..._" She gasped, feeling the yielding flush through her body.

Priyanka almost fainted, falling back as Doug caught her as she fell.

"Woah Pri, you okay, what's wrong?" He asked, concerned.

He got her up on her own two feet, her knees wobbling muttering to herself at a quickened chatter.

"This...this explains everything...this makes...so much _more_ sense...I mean, how -can-can a Quartz contain the power of Three Gods? I-I mean, Quartzes are naturally strong, but...I-I see it now..no way, no logical explanation would be for how even one,_ one_ could hold a single Gods power could _possibly_ be held within without tearing a person apart and-and a Quartz type might just be able to hold like half, or a third...three, no no_ no_ that's...that's _insane_! But but...this...this solves that problem..." She said so frantically and so quickly, disconnecting as she paced back and forth, Doug thinking she had grown delusional.

"Priyanka slow down, what...what did you find?" Doug asked her.

It was enough to drive the Witch Doctor to insanity herself, or at least on its fringe, her hair suddenly out of place on her body as she pulled off her gloves and threw them on the bench, covering her face with her hands.

"Steven is..."

_BANG BANG BANG._

"Priyanka, Doug...you must be alive."

It was Garnet.'s voice. Thank goodness...Doug instantly ran ove, grateful for someone being there.

"Yeah we're here, can you let us out?" He pleaded.

"Of course." She responded.

"Just stand away from the door."

Doug instantly stood to the side as the next thing he knew, was the door insantly popping off of its hinges and slamming into the ground with a mighty thump. In the doorway was Garnet with a single gauntlet raised up, before disappearing and Amethyst.

"Oh thank goodness you're here!" Doug cried as he hugged Garnet out of sheer relief, who was apathetic to his gesture, she instead looked at Priyanka who was still beside herself on the chair near the fire. She lifted her chin.

* * *

The four sat in the back room together, as Garnet sat down in other chair, while Doug sat on the armrest and had his left arm around his dishevelled wife and his right holding her left hand in his lap, as Amethyst was standing in front of the fire. The situation was a mix of emotions, desperately needing themselves to get sorted to figure out what just happened.

"We were bubbled in my room close to the book shelf." Amethyst explained.

"Luck would have it that a single book that was left out of place had somehow succumbed to gravity and unbubbed me...and then I found Garnet bubbled as well..."

Doug was right to be concerned with trickery. Steven's martyrdom was bad enough but this was just an entire conspiracy now.

"Have you seen everyone else? I mean, besides Steven of course." Doug said.

Garnet shook her head, then adjusted her visor. This took a dark turn for the worse.

"Pearl and Connie have disappeared." She said.

"I see them heading towards the White Compound, trying to find Steven."

_Oh no._

"What the hell is going on?" Amethyst demanded, being the most pedantic about it all.

"I don't get why I had to be poofed _twic_e."

Doug looked at Garnet who leaned over, her sight on the flames in the fire place. She was normally the most cool and analytical and while it would grind Doug to bits as to how she was so calm in the midst of this crisis, he subconsciously thanked her for being the only stable one in the room.

"Pearl needed us out of the way." She said.

"She has a plan with Connie."

With more shock shot down his spine, Doug shot up off the chair, with a sentence like that he did not want to take lightly.

"What? What does she want with my daughter?" He demanded.

Meanwhile Priyanka was on the brink of despair, tears running down her cheeks. Doug knelt down beside her taking both of her hands to try and give her a slice of comfort, but she was not taking this as well at all. He had trouble prioritising his actions...from being concerned for the two important women in his life. 

"Oh no no Pri I'm sorry..."

He looked towards Garnet who tried to remain stoic and Amethyst whom had been standing there, irritated with the world as she looked away, crossing her arms and appearing aloof but otherwise quite graded. One thing at a time, as what the Exiles would say. Figuring that he was going to tell people about his talk with Steven's impending doom anyway, he wanted to let them all know what she had found...if she could get a moment to talk and breath first.

"Priyanka found something out from the results of the Decoder. I had tested it on Steven...please dear...let us know what you found."

The human woman lifted her head, as she had the attention of the other two Priestesses. She inhaled deeply as she stood up and pursed her lips.

"Steven..._isn't_ half Quartz." She said as she tried to sound firm, but it held the slight quiver at first, but then got a little stronger as she went on.

"Steven...is Half_ Diamond_."

A revelation that had the temperature go down by a few degrees, as the fires flicked in motion as the collective gasps in the room created a subtle wind. Garnet, whom had been stable, instantly stood up and left the room without warning. Doug turned back to his wife, trying to wrap his own head around it. How was that even possible?

"Honey, are you so sure?" He asked, his hand grasping her arm.

It was true. There was no other explanation.

"Yeah don't say stuff like that without proof." Amethyst put forth.

"How in the world-"

Priyanka lifted her head, her eyes focusing on the fires again.

"There's no traces of Quartz in his make." Priyanka said softly and sadly.

"The Decoder identified his Gem as a Diamond."

Amethyst paused in thought, having difficulty on her end to comprehend it. Surely the device was still busted.

"Wait, Rose used her Gem to make Steven...does that mean she's.."

Mrs. Maheswaran nodded.

"Rose most likely was a Diamond, yes." She continued on the young purple Gems behalf.

"Which Diamond I can't say. There's no record of a Fifth Diamond in the ancient texts, no mention of anything of the sort. There was only ever the four."

Three of which were dead. 

"What if we missed something?" Doug suggested.

"A clue...we can't waste our years of research and discovery to see that we've passed on smaller detail in the myriad of tomes we've come to collect. Can't we reread them?"

As far as what Priyanka knew, her decades of experience had her going through hundreds of history books the Knights had written and collected. Nothing in their history suggested an artificial Diamond was made and Rose's very presence as another Diamond was troubling. For Diamonds, Four Gods...so what was Rose really? A Rose Diamond maybe? There were answers to unspoken questions but now there were newborn queries left in their wake. Pri tried to think through what she could make sense of, although thoughts of her daughter with Pearl had other ideas float past instead. So Priyanka turned to a reputable source.

"Amethyst you know Pearl." She said.

"How close was she really to Rose?"

The Gem grumbled.

"She would claim she had known her the longest I guess." She said, stomping her foot.

"But we shouldn't be sitting around here and debating that. We need to go out there and find them. I don't know about you guys being her parents n' all, but I think we should be going out there finding Pearl and Connie because goodness knows Steven is going to be long dead in the dirt before they will be."

This perplexed Priyanka more so. Amethyst knew about Steven's premise as Spirit Seal Relic then.

"You don't care about what happens to him?" She asked.

Amethyst then kicked under her feet.

"I want to say I don't. He wants to die on the grounds that it'll save us all then by all means, let him throw his own damn life away for a broken promise. You want my opinion on Rose, my opinion is that, yeah, her being a Diamond is just as likely as her being a God. She never had it all figured out...she just made as many mistakes as anyone else. She's not the saviour everyone thought she was."

Being said that statement in Amethyst's own unhinged words of turmoil whisked about the hidden truth within her tone.

"But I _do_ care and its the worst thing. Rose is no better than the Quartz Warriors she claimed to have come from. Steven doesn't deserve this, even if he wants to commit suicide by unfortunate...and downright dumb circumstances."

Letting loose like that, it was like lifting the lid and letting the heat out; being something that had kept in her chest for a long while.

"But Rose_ was_ a Diamond..." Priyanka pointed out to her.

"Maybe sent by the Gods themselves as punishment towards the existing Queens...to get back what they stole."

Amethyst rolled her eyes.

"But the Gods are dead and powerless...how could they send another Diamond? There's nothing left." She said. The world was in its current state for a good reason and everyone practically knew the Gods held no power left.

The room got colder, as a small blue figure in a dress and hair obscuring her face entered the room. Amethyst was stunned by her appearing out of nowhere.

"Sapphire, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"They didn't send another Diamond." Sapphire said as she stood between the two red chairs.

Amethyst understood Sapphire only ever appeared if there was an emotional difference between herself and Ruby...and Ruby was no where to be seen.

"What do you mean?" Doug asked. He was a bit perplexed by the notions of fusions and their components, but was told to respect them as their own being.

"Garnet's Future Vision was messed up by the fact she didn't factor in Rose being a Diamond. She never saw a full resolution because nothing made sense."

And it still didn't. Where did Rose fit in anyway?

"Where's Ruby then?" Amethyst asked.

Sapphire looked down.

"She's...a bit upset...and I'm...a bit disappointed in myself." She said.

"Rose fought for us and told us she would bring everything back and I believed her...but this...this is _too_ much."

Gems within the Knights would follow the orders of the Elders with no question. Rose herself once being an Elder before she decided to her own thing caused many rifts. If the Knights knew Rose's real position, then...did the Knights know what was going on? Parts still didn't fit correctly as Priyanka would have liked them to.

"Then yeah, everything that's been told so far must be a lie too." Amethyst said.

"Everything will end in complete failure and Steven will die for no reason."

Amethyst had a point, although Priyanka still would think that Rose would have had some aim. She was a legendary figure who achieved much for the Knights benefit and for their cause, creating the the Crystal Priestesses when the Knights rules basically chafed her goals and plans. Sapphire did not respond or bother to correct Amethyst either, remaining silent...and Sapphires were respected members of the Coven, their powers like none other. 

"So what does Pearl gain in all of this then?" Doug questioned.

"She's taken our daughter for some reason..."

"Pearl was in love with Rose."

A red figure entered in, with evidence of crying on her face as Sapphire turned to her. Ruby stood in the door frame, eyes watery as she looked at her lover. Sapphire approached her and hugged her tightly. Seeing such a sight had Priyanka look at Doug, her beloved husband.

"It was easy to see. But Rose never loved her back the same way...but Pearl kept trying."

So there was internal drama with the Priestesses, one with Pearl becoming attached to her liege. Sapphire cleared up some of Ruby's tears with her finger, as the pair took to comfort one another.

"Not just that, Pearl is totally in love with Steven." Amethyst said, possessing a face of pure disgust.

"You haven't noticed how lovey dovey she is with him?"

Sapphire nodded. Attachment from one Diamond, to another.

"It _was_ noticed." She said.

"Maiden Pearls are cursed, this Pearl more so."

Maiden Pearls were but a mystery to Priyanka and Doug as none had ever served within the Knights themselves. No one said anything or commented and the way people spoke about them was all hush hush for one reason or another. This Pearl never really divulged a lot of information other than having been a servant to some noble in the past before serving Rose.

"In what way?" Priyanka wondered.

Ways that were often left unspoken, if possible.

"Pearls are...for the most part, deeply connected to Queen White." Sapphire continued.

"Gems that had gone above and beyond were rewarded with Pearls. But everyone knew that they were spies for White, but never talked about it."

So wait, that would mean White had been keeping an eye on everything, all this time...and no one said anything about it?

"So basically now White has the advantage? She knows what we're doing." Doug called out.

She had been for a long time.

"It won't matter anymore." Sapphire claimed.

"White knowing isn't the issue. It's what she's going to do with the knowledge is what couldn't be seen. She wants Steven to come to her."

Sure, so Pearl was a traitor leading Steven directly to his demise, being nothing more than White's spy to get him to do what she wanted and that was to direct Steven to dare to face her, her intentions to slaughter him being the obvious answer. But it still didn't give them any idea why she wanted Connie involved. She was just a regular human.

"My child doesn't have any special powers...I mean, Pri's training her to be a Witch Doctor but other than that, she's your average run of the mill humanoid."

_My child._

"Maybe it's not Connie." Amethyst said, before she made a rubbing gesture on her belly. A gesture that was alarming that Priyanka fuming more so. Pearl had taken this way too far now, more so than Rose. No, they were just as bad as each other. Priyanka's seen enough death that she was going to strangle someone before long. Rose and Pearl, maybe. The Diamond and the Pearl working their way to take advantage of others and being no more hated than the Queens they claimed to be fighting against. There had to a better way than repeating the cycle of death, surely. 

"_The unborn.._." Priyanka muttered. She shook her head and scrunched her fists. This was absolutely deplorable and she had enough. To her, Steven was already family...and she saw the more human in him than any one else she'd come across in their travels and frankly, it didn't matter that he was a Diamond, only that his very spirit, his love was all that mattered. He's sacrificed enough to this day and someone had to put a stop to it, Someone had to take a stand to this nonsense and make matters right. A mess forged by the Queens themselves had to be cleaned up by everyone involved and not just a few individuals.

Enough is enough.

"No. Enough debating about what Rose was and Pearl's intentions. We should be focusing on Connie and Steven." She said with a strong tone.

"We're going out. Now. Pack your things, Doug get our armour and weapons. We're going to the White Compound." 

Ruby looked unimpressed.

"Seriously? We're just a small group. We're gonna be dead too the moment we step into the Compound." She pointed out.

"Not to mention getting access to the First Compound to begin is a difficult step. Although Amethyst, you've seen where the entrance is." Sapphire said.

They had to try. The people they loved so dearly, their lives were at stake. So what if what was said was a lie? The Knights' decreed all life was sacred and even if Connie decided she didn't want the child in the end, then so be it. She loved her daughter more than worrying about what the Knights wanted. She's seen how this has torn Connie apart and what ever she wanted, was on _her_ terms. There would be no excuse Pearl could possibly provide that warranted the use of an unborn child in some stupid ritual. Doug looked at briefly, unsure until she gave the nod of approval for him to continue to get their things.

"Yeah I do." Amethyst replied, smiling at Priyanka.

"I like your style Pri, I do agree, that we need to end this bullshit. Pearl is gonna get my whip around her scrawny neck and I'll pull it so damn tight she'll pop!"

And Priyanka appreciated Amethyst's blunt honesty. It was then Sapphire and Ruby refused back into Garnet, who adjusted her visor and nodded.

"We'll let Amethyst lead the way. What we're going to see in the Compound itself is going to downright risky, but we'll need to make up our own odds of success."

The group had packed their things and made their way towards the entrance. There was absolutely no denying this was going to be difficult, only that Garnet's words of wisdom were all that were really needed to succeed. No one gave a stuff that Steven was a half Diamond, in full agreement that they had to save both his and Connie's hides and nothing else mattered besides that.

Priyanka and Doug were the last to get themselves ready, clad in their white armour with the Knights Symbol of the Pale Pink Rose on the left breast, the armour itself quite intricate in detail, curved designs and curved lines and designs of thorns asymmetrical and unique to each piece of armour. Irregardless of what status a Knight was, they all had their sets designed and enchanted for each of them whom had sworn themselves for the cause and maybe one day, they would have taken Connie to the Hidden Village to get hers. Trained in melee weapons, Priyanka favoured the claymore while Doug preferred to use duel axes, that were slid onto his back. They never had the opportunity to use them in the field with their daughter, as Priyanka had them trying to hide from the monsters that were often few and far in between because fighting Gems alone by themselves would be a death sentence. But this time, Priyanka held more courage and confidence, knowing what was on the line if they were to fail. 

As Amethyst opened the doors however, they were met with another sight, unseen. A bald human male in a pink jumpsuit underneath a black jacket with a dirty white scarf with cherries around his neck, goggles on his forehead and a backpack, standing next to a familiar Orange Quartz.

"Oh, looks like we got here just in time." He said.

"Man I haven't seen you in years Amethyst...and I'm guessing your Garnet huh?"

Amethyst squinted.

"Greg? Jasper?"

Jasper leered at the puny Quartz, her arms crossed.

"Where ever you're going, we're here to tag along." She said, before Greg cleared his throat to remind her.

"Oh and apparently he has something important to tell you."

This was an interesting turn of events, but they had little time to chat.

"Tell us along the way then." Priyanka said, standing next to her.

"We've got important people to save."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh I would love a picture of Mr and Mrs. Maheswaran in their Knights armour.


	54. The First Compound Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Futures and pasts collide.

The first thing Steven could see...was a dark sky with thousands of tiny, sparkly dots above him. The air was extremely cold here, as Steven could see more vapours escape from his mouth and it was heavy, as Steven found himself breathing a little harder than normal. Either that or it was his anxiety that had been building up lately...and the guilt.

He could see dozens of pointed White Towers that were lined up in formations of four and constantly intersecting streets on straight and narrow walkways, like they were in a grid formation. His breathing or any noise from movement echoed as he walked forward, trying to discern where he was and what he was looking at. It was repetitive, dull and strange; a sterile nature and a consistent formula. Was there a word to describe anything that was more lifeless than the outside world? Yes. And it's name was the First Compound.

Steven instantly got vibes of this place, absolutely teeming to the brink of magic. He remained silent, eyes focused on any sudden movement. Lights adorned the ground that lit up the towers from below, creating unseemly shadows that made them look sharper than they were. White tiles of similar sizes were practically the chosen ground here for some odd reason, where they wasn't any monument or structure there were hundreds of white tiles everywhere. Once he approached the street, one square tile of the ground slid out and up from it, it as a cubic dais, which projected a light blue hologram of the whole place. It was like the mythical cities of old and the towers design reminded Steven of the pawn pieces from playing chess with his father.

The title of "W-1" floating above it, which prompted him to look behind him to see the massive steel gate with the same text in black on it.

"_Look at you..._"

Steven gasped as he made the quick turnaround, look around for the source of the feminine voice that echoed across the Compound.

"_Dirty, filthy. But that's okay. You are the Symbol of Wonder of everyone I own here....the sole being they all talk about...and you are alone as well...just like I ordered. My Starlight will get the best treatment while he is here_."

The Dais disappeared into the ground, as another raised up above. A boy, with pink skin and lighter pink hair, wearing a clean white suit with a pink tie.

No...it couldn't be. Flashes of the original riots returned to him, rewinding back to the Death Match in the Area...what was he doing here?

He walked up to Steven with his hands behind his back, as Steven could see a black collar wrapped around his neck and his expression was entirely fearful, shaking even.

"You...you're..." Steven stammered.

"Yeah I'm exactly who you think I am."

_TWO NINE FIVE_

<strike> _WHAT DID YOU DO SEVEN ONE NINE?_ </strike>

"Get a move on, our Queen doesn't have all day. I'll need to take you to the Processing Centre."

Steven shook his head, furious.

"No, I demand to see Queen White right now." Steven demanded.

The boy was a bit irritated.

"Look just do as she says alright? I have enough to worry about when I'm trying to keep my cool in front of the man who murdered me and brought me back to life is right in front of me!"

That blunt huh?

"Look, I'm sorry!" Steven cried.

"I didn't me-"

A clink cut off his words as the pink boy began to choke.

"Jussst follow me okay? I'm not a fan of dying! Again!"

Did...White do that? Steven growled as he looked up into the sky.

"Just face me you coward! You don't need to do this. We can end this right here and right now! No tricks, no delays...just you and me White!"

The Pink Boy rolled his eyes as he curled his fingers around his control collar to try and loosen it on his own.

"She's not gonna answer until we've...we've both done what we're told to." He continued.

"You're gonna meet her...but not yet."

Steven's patience was wearing thin...he tried to get the collar off himself, but that forced the boy to step back.

"Don't touch me!" He roared.

"Trust me...you don't do what you're told, everyone and I mean, EVERYONE IS GOING TO DIE!"

Everyone?

"What do you mean by that?" Steven asked.

The Pink Boy did the cutting neck gesture with his hand with the accompanying sound effect he made with his mouth. Steven struggled to absorb it all, thinking alone the lines of White playing her tricks and a dangerous game with him. He wanted to call her bluff, but then again, what if she really had the power to do so with just a click of a finger? 

"Ugh...how did you even kill me when you're that dense?" The boy criticized.

"Just...please. I beg of you just follow me..."

He was pretty desperate too. White had to be planning something, surely. He's come this far and she knows that he has the power of three Gods within his being. He shouldn't be afraid but the atmosphere was tense and everything felt like a million eyes were on him, watching his every move. A power flow, a structure...a system in waves that brushed skin and spirit. The power of Psyche was stronger than he anticipated it to be. A stolen power from a True God, as the false ones were slain. Steven nodded, as the Pink Boy sighed with relief, turning around as he walked down the path.

Steven followed suit, reserving himself in the silence. It was still, cold and fresh but faint scent of plastic and metal filtered in the air. It was almost dead quiet, save for a the occasional chime and hum from what could be special machinery within the towers or something underground.

Closing his eyes, Steven focused on himself inwards, trying to hone in the powers he held to allow him strength and even wisdom. Amethyst talked about voices so...he tried to listen to himself but got nothing but static and overall nothingness. He wondered if his mother possessed the ability to do the same thing...to channel their spirits with his own. Was that possible for him to do so even if he was half human?

Eventually the boy himself had them stop by a Processing Centre. The text above the door was in Gem Glyph but Steven's newer understanding of the language had him translate it as such. 

"Did you ever get a name?" He asked.

The boy crossed his arms and looked at Steven as if he was asking the strangest question.

"A name?" The Pink boy repeated.

Steven raised his hand against his chest.

"My Compound called me Steven." He said.

Compound life wasn't easy, but there were those few sections that made it seem easier...names. Quartz Warriors would always call humans by their code. Seven One Nine...numbers were designated at birth (Steven's circumstance unique entirely) but when the young ones were about six years old, they were taken the Processing Centre by default where the Zircons would tattoo their allocated codes on the back of their necks.

But, the Patriarch would allow for naming ceremonies to be conducted...a type of celebration common when a human Compoundee turned six...and his father had said it was the name they both picked, but ultimately it was a decision held by the Patriarch and sermons were held to ensure Steven was welcomed into the Compound, as six was often the age people were selected to start their jobs around the Compound. Steven wasn't sure if the other ones had their own traditions like this.

"Now that's just silly." The Boy commented.

"I was only ever called Two Nine Five. You're Seven One Nine; the boy who killed me."

Steven lifted his head.

"And the guy who brought you back to life." He pointed out.

Pink Boy shrugged.

"What ever. Now get in there and register. You don't want to keep Her waiting."

Register...this was just like the other two Compounds. Why would he need to do this? He took a deep breath as he looked at the tall sliding glass doors.

"Don't worry. I won't." He said before taking the path inside.

* * *

Like the other Compounds, the interior of the Processing Centre's entrance as a waiting room, but it was just...so White and so empty and dreary. Still cold and lifeless too. There wasn't even an Aquamarine stationed at the reception, as Steven scanned the room of white plastic chairs. Steven swallowed, the tiniest bit of fear riddled him but he wasn't going to let it control his body moving forward.

A White Zircon emerged from the long hallway, their Gem located on their forehead and their in an upwards, pointing outwards in two spikes adjacent to each other. She wasn't even like Blue or Yellow whom were most smug and pretentious. There was stare that would look through you as opposed to look at you. Steven wasn't sure what White was trying to do; registering him into her Compound for an odd reason.

"Seven One Nine could you follow." She said, voice just as lull and lifeless.

He did so, though, was also still busy trying to channel in the voices of the Gods in his head at the same time. Why else would Amethyst mention something like that? Although, it had him think that it was indeed just a joke or a thoughtless comment in the wind, but for reasons unfounded, there was a logic to it Steven tried to address.

All this time with three Gods within him he wondered, that he had never bothered or even needed to channel in their energies; only using the gifts his mother granted him in times of peril, saving himself and others fraught with the dangers within both the Compounds and the Drylands. The Death Match itself had been the first major occasion where even with restraint, Steven couldn't hide who he really was.

Arriving in the Clinical Room, White Zircon had Steven strip; the same way that had been conducted in the Blue Compound except he got to keep his stuff this time as he put it all in the corner of the room. Holographic screens and the like, as she did her scans but scarcely made any noise, let alone an a hum or two. If what the Pink Boy said was true, then if Steven didn't was he was told...then he would be responsible for the deaths of many, many more.

He looked down at his gem, imagining the swirls of different spirits and essences flowing within. Could they speak? Could Yellow, Blue or Pink be able to tell him anything? Would they bother after what he had done? So many questions he wanted to ask, but nothing would be able to answer him directly.

The scans were done within fives minutes, so Steven had been told to go into a shower... a tall cylinder where nanites would scrub his body clean instead of water; but the feeling was all the same, getting every bit of dirt and grime from his travels off of him. All the while, this felt dead to him more so than it was alive, the energies radiating providing hollow aesthetics, the left to want something other than this black and white atmosphere.

Once cleaned, clothes popped out from a panel. Black button shirt with collar, a pink tie...and a white business jacket, with matching pants and leather shoes and black socks. Steven felt...dark in this...a feeling he's had before but not something he wanted to feel on the long term or in the passive. Most of the dark he had was more aggressive...but...

That could have been the reason his feelings, his senses were off...the darkness within the light...regressing and swelling in a stalemate...parts still and hitched in like hooks digging into his skin that wouldn't let go. A loose suit felt tight under conditions unwanted, Steven trapped in the terms and conditions White created. Formal, polite...teetering on the edge of the unknown without falling into the abyss outright. Once he had his black belt on, White Zircon appeared out of the blue and started combing his hair with a, well, a blue comb. She focused without focus, going around to ensure Steven was groomed nicely, handing him some what appeared to be a light blue bottle, which she poured out a scented gooey cream like substance, a small portion as she put the bottle down and rubbed it into his face.

It felt...refreshing honestly. A minty feeling as it was like his skin was drinking...hydrating itself with this unknown chemical, as it was smoothed onto his chubby cheeks, forehead and neck. She then got another dark blue bottle, and suddenly grabbed Steven's neck without warning, forcing him to open his mouth as she tipped the bottle into Steven's mouth. He wanted to resist but...as a blue clear liquid fell into his mouth, he could now taste the cool minty freshness, with White Zircon smoosh his face together, forcing his mouth shut as she shook his head gently...well, not gently but not violently either. He was swishing the liquid in his mouth, as White Zircon summoned sink from the ground panel beneath them and forced Steven to spit it out as she slapped the back of his head.

Somehow, Steven preferred the other Zircons commentary and guidance as opposed to White Zircons physical instructions.

She looked at him from head to toe several times, before nodding to herself.

"This should be sufficient Seven One Nine." She said.

It was then someone else came into the room, clad in a purple shirt, black leggings and white boots. Her purple hair was tied up into a bun, her skin lavender and her dark purple Gem located on her forehead and an very off set grin on her face.

"Follow Aubergine. She will carry your belongings." White Zircon said.

No. No one was allowed to touch his stuff as Aubergine had gone over to the corner, but Steven blocked her; wary of her taking both the Light of Psyche and the Rage of Gaia more than anything.

"It is okay Seven One Nine." Aubergine said calmly.

"I will look after your things. I will contain them in the same condition as they are, no more, no less."

He still didn't trust her.

"I don't think so." Steven said.

White Zircon then stood forward.

"White does not permit weapons in her garden." She said.

"Aubergine has been allocated as your Maiden Pearl, Seven One Nine. She will look after your equipment until you are allocated a Tower."

What? The fact they had so much patience in their voices, no hint of irritation or frustration with him...so calm, collected...so...dead.

"I don't understand." Steven stated, standing back in confusing as he raised his arms, blocking his stuff.

"Right now you have an Appointment with Queen White. It is not wise to miss an Appointment with Her Radiance." Aubergine continued.

"I will look after your things. I will contain them in the same condition as they are, no more, no less."

She just..._said that_...He had to focus and try not to freak out now, not when he was so close. Steven debated hard within his head if needed the Ball or the Sword. Could he defeat her another way? Risking the death of...countless others. White's true power must have been undeniable, having everyone this obedient and strict yet, the kindness they demonstrated was more chilling. Steven wasn't naive to think there was an angle to it. The Pink Boy was the only one aware of what was going on and these two just seemed indifferent, answering to Steven's problems with temperate wording and mannerisms found in machines. Rehearsing to a strange variant of perfection like lyrics or they were merely acting their parts.

Or they _were_ their parts, personified.

Steven wasn't sure what to be more cautious of. Still, having an enemy Gem hold his valuables was a tricky decision and Steven's patience was wearing thin on these pleasantries. What choice did he really have...White not allowing weapons in the garden...he would have to think of something, surely...he regretted leaving without back up, but this was going to be his final stand. No turning back from this. And that if he could tear White apart without the weapons and free these imprisoned indentured servants from her control...

He took in a deep breath, sighing and prayed that he wasn't going to regret doing this. He moved out of the way, as Aubergine beamed as she wandered over, taking his bag of things and his sword and putting them into her Gem. A shiver rolled down his spine as he did so.

"Queen White appreciates cooperation." She said.

"Now, I will you take to her Garden. She has been expecting you."

* * *

There had to be an end to this...Steven just did not know he was going to get the envisioned point of getting her Gem and conducting one of the last rituals. Leaving the Processing Centre, Aubergine took him to a panel in the middle of the path which suddenly lit up. It took them both down into the depths and revealed a series of underground tunnels where other panels were moving about...but no Gems or humans could be seen anywhere. There was a distinct lack of noise and the interior pathways must have been immense. 

His heart began to race beyond his control, but Steven steeled himself to remain strong. He had to be certain with his path clear so he could end this Era with the dawn of a new light, light that would breath life into all things once more and that they could achieve long lost paradise.

Paradise said so much within the Pink Compound...so much so by the Priestesses and the ancient records..but the fact Amethyst was the only one who seemed to vocalise any sort of doubt stuck with him. 

_Was the world that glorious to begin with? If the Queens had to...sacrifice the Gods to acquire power, would that mean that the world was already shitty before this? Why would you fight for something like that?_

Queen White would know that more than anyone, basically being the High Queen of all the Diamonds. She was the pusher, the provider, the nightmare to every dream and the bright devil in false sunlight. There was no warmth from her embrace, only cold death and despair. He's seen it, transferred to him in a curse, binding glass into his veins until it could be cleared. He's experienced her pain first hand...and everyone else has experienced her passive destructive prowess...her countless years worth of ending the world in the slowest, most tormenting way possible.

But Amethyst...what she said...it wouldn't go away. The Queens wanted power...conducting the Sin...was that all there was to it? White had to know...there were so many questions Steven could ask her before the deed was inevitably done...as to how and why...and...in the nagging prick stuck in his head, that if what Amethyst believed to be right, that the world was in a bad state prior to their acquisition...then where could they really go after all of this?

_What if, we destroy White and nothing happens. The world remains as is...barren and useless as it always had been._

It was a possibility. Magic didn't always work the way you would want it to. Rules set but not always followed. 

His throat tightened, standing behind Aubergine as the tile stopped and rose up. The walls around them were brightly lit, almost blinding Steven as they made the ascent. He could practically sense the power increasing the higher they went up. He wasn't ready, Steven never really was; intuition and instinct the only real weapons he had now.

They had gotten to the top, where Steven could instantly see the sparkling night sky, but the temperature here wasn't as cold...in fact, it was rather mild. Around him he could see clouds over a tall stone railing of rigid pillars and behind him was a white stone spiky structure with golden doors. But there was a long stretched out path that lead to a huge pentagonal fountain in the middle and on each side were garden beds filled with flowers Steven had never seen before of numerous colours in neat rows. Perfect symmetry...

Aubergine by that point had vanished, as Steven made the dare to walk forward, looking down at the path in front of him. Each tile turned pink as he stepped on them, and then turned back to the default white once he had stepped off. While there were no voices, he could hear his heavy heartbeat in his head by this point, carefully strolling and keeping an eye out for any funny business.

Once he was by the fountain, he noticed that the water changed colours to pink as well. It was like the Garden reacted to his presence.

"Oh Starlight, good you're here, I'll be right with you."

To his left, he could see a tall, thin woman in white, wearing a green garden hat, gloves and overalls over a white shirt with black polka dots, holding a pair of blue garden pliers and trimming a set of yellow roses, as Steven watched petals fall to the dirt below.

"You see, Gardening is such a peaceful hobby. Watching things grow and bloom...oh and seeing that they do not threaten other plants...you don't want them taking the shine away from others."

As far as Steven was considered, most plants needed sunlight. And there was no sunlight to be found. Knowing how the Temple's Flora worked and the Fortune Garden in the Greenhouse, this had to be done with magic, no question. But what gave him more ire was her voice...the older, poised voice that he had heard in visions...her attempts to break him from the inside out and how he had come to loathe it. Something was stopping him from going over there and punching her in the face outright...and begin the destructive charge to bring her down before she knew what was happening. He continued to eye her off, as she stood up, examining her handiwork. She placed the pliers on the stone work that held the dirt in and he watched as it disappeared in a flash of light. It happened again as she took off her gloves which showed off her prim, clean hands with long, jet black finger nails. Pulling back her hat, that disappeared too, before she turned around to face Steven with a smile that would have topped the lowliest man in how...it was supposed to be sweet and tender but it was anything but, with her spikey star like hair, her black lip stick, mascara, eyeliner and silvery eye shadow...wearing make up that would appear to make older people look more youthful. That wasn't even going into the sparkling gem on her forehead, her most dominating feature. Her overalls then promptly turned into a long white gown with a long dip in the middle revealing her in the inner side halves of her breasts and dipped her sternum in a v shape, loose on her shoulders like sheets, with a black belt around her waist, with the another cuts on her both of her thighs and revealing the black heeled sandals that had two straps curled up in criss cross design up to her knees. Black cuffs curled around her upper arms and a choke with a symbol of her Diamond position embedded in the centre. All the while she pressed her fingers together as she walked forward, the long back part of the gown dragging slowly across the ground behind her.

The aura she had should have been intimidating for the pure symbol of evil. She was anything but pure in that sense, spreading her fingers as she made the steady stroll, pressing her fingertips together in front of her stomach and her white Diamond eyes hooked on to him...like before, like hooks that refused to let go.

Now that she was a bit closer, he noticed that she was only a little bit taller than him, thanks to her heels and her expressive hair. 

"I figured that suit would look good on you...you are a handsome one." She complimented.

"But...you don't care about that...I know exactly what you're thinking."

Did she now? With that manner that reminded Steven of Kiki's late grandmother.

"The same question with every one who's tried...no need to move those precious lips Starlight..."

She suddenly took his hands, much to his dismay and forced his palms upright as she looked at them.

"But I have so many questions for you. You are a delicate specimen...ever since I heard about the incident in the Arena my attention was instantly grabbed. But the Riots took you away from me and instantly knew I had to have you."

He wasn't surprised.

"So I have been told." He said drily, eyes half lidded.

He was put off and powerless for no reason as she hook her arm with his, taking him around the fountain as they strode along the long path to...somewhere...the distance was beyond the horizon like the garden was just this massive bridge. He would have resisted, but he figured, the way she was talking right now, that he could have all the answers...before he pounded her gem into dust.

"Indeed." White continued, her smiling never coming off her face.

"My sisters...my poor sisters...they underestimated your true power. Pity they had to die. But those two kept over compensating...working too hard to see who was the best Queen in the competition. And unfortunately they would never be as creative as Pink."

Queen Pink?

"The state of the Pink Compound was deplorable. The Compoundees kept demanding for better conditions yet we got nothing. But I understand you needed somewhere to dump tools when ever they were no longer needed." Steven said, insulting her within the compliment.

"Misery builds character Starlight. She made you for me." White commented.

Is that so? Steven raised an eyebrow. Was she under the delusion that a Quartz had made him specifically for Queen White? Maybe for a certain point of view he could see that logic. Surely, she wasn't dumb enough to believe that he wasn't there to kill her. He just to be careful what ever she had up her sleeve. Even the name Starlight...she had granted him his Compound Name well before hand so there was not doubt in his mind that she had to have anticipated this. Though she would be at Yellows level of accepting death, so would be the level of White's charm otherwise to bend Steven to her every whim. Or that she would want to kill him...and perhaps he could true strength to survive because Steven was under the impression he could never really die unless his true purpose was completed.

"But ask me your question Starlight...I want to hear you say it."

One that would have been on top of his mind for sure. The answer was obvious, but to hear the insanity from Queen White would seal the deal for absolute clarity for him to kill her out without hesitation.

"Why did you conduct the Unforgiving Sin?" He asked, unleashing the loaded question against her.

White nodded.

"Ah the so called 'Sin'. It's such a tasteless term." She claimed.

"It was more...of an Ascension...our rights as Queens, the Overseers of all the Magic in the World...if we didn't ascend...then the world would have suffered far worse, than it would have now."

Steven doubted it, but he let her continue.

"It has been far too long, many generations of humans have come and gone and records lost in time and dust...as they had forgotten that they had struck us first. They were under the same impression; stealing the power of the Gods would have have had them too powerful, even for us...but Humans cannot control magic to the same extent as we could...they couldn't hold the sheer power without tearing their fragile, fleshy forms apart."

So it was said. How true that was....Steven couldn't go back to see what really happened. He'd need like a reverse Sapphire to figure that out.

"So you decided to do it first." He continued.

White nodded.

"The Corundum Coven are scarcely wrong in their predictions...and the hapless humanity sought to expand themselves...forgetting all about the Great Truce and invaded our Kingdoms Territories constantly, on the hunt for powerful artefacts that would allow them to become Gods. Such a foolish decision cos them dearly."

And yet, artefacts that made the Queens strong in return and bound them to this world as its eternal hierarchy.

"So you fought...and that by result...you wanted humans to beckon...to beg at your feet and grovel at you to save their lives." Steven assumed firmly.

White chuckled with a degree of fondness, looking back further into the dramas that unfolded between the two races.

"Oh some did beg indeed...pathetic really they were mostly just embittered over the fact that they lost. Magic has always been our forte...humans are nothing more than parasites, but I have allowed them to live, purely for the amusement of their struggles to survive..."

Steven forcibly disconnected himself from her, standing back as he was prepared to release his pent up rage, but White didn't seem too dismayed from his bout of aggression.

"Oh don't be like that Starlight...I've come across all kinds since this all began...the foundation of the Compounds...to the first Riots. You surprise me out of everyone I've come across...and you continue to impress..."

Because of what he was most likely. A half breed able to understand both sides of the spectrum.

"So you know what I'm here for then." He said, summoning his shield in defiance.

The grin on White's lips curved all the wide and higher.

"Oh I do, I do...but there's still so much more to talk about....I mean, there's so little you don't know either. A person of your...calibre deserves to know all the truths that can be known...as I will not lie. I am not a true God but I am very close to it. Yellow was but haste in holding that mantle so close to her chest and poor Blue was just...let's say my sisters definitely deserved what was coming to them."

How could she say that? Steven didn't like them either but he found that attitude disgusting.

"You didn't like your own family? You wanted them to die?" Steven cried out.

They came across another pentagonal fountain in their travels, a wider one as White sat on the edge, patting the spot next to her to get Steven to sit down. Getting her to talk more was better than nothing at all, Steven assumed, getting rid of his shield as he relented in parking himself down. She twinkled her fingers over the waters as they rose on the command of her magic, forming shapes of Yellow, Blue and Pink...as well as herself behind them, her arms raised and bigger in form to the others.

"I am, by all rights, the first...and the frankly, the last." She said.

"True kingdoms don't have multiple rulers. A single Queen evolves into an Empress, her Empire before her bowing to her whim." 

So the other Diamond Queens dropped back into the water. Until another figure stood by White's side. Steven.

"Or...she can rule alongside a King. The God King of Man and Gem. She could teach this young Prince how to rule, how use his powers to shape the world around him. Wouldn't that be something hm?"

She merged the waters together as the form grew larger, displaying some kind of monstrous figure it is place.

"I can't fuse with you!" He called out, demolishing the display with his hand.

"You are a monster! So many people died because of what all of you did to this planet....and I aim to make peace between Gems and Humans without resorting to the same mistakes you made."

White crossed her legs, lifting her chin again.

"Me? Oh I didn't propose the Ascension." She said.

"It was an agreement between the four of us but no...it wasn't I who suggested it."

It wouldn't matter who did. They still did it and now it has to be undone.

"I don't care." Steven said coldly.

"I have three Gods in me and you only have one. It would be a lot easier if you just submitted to me and laid down and died like your sisters. I'm sure they're eager for you to join them."'

White's laughed echoed everywhere in varying volumes as power shifted around him, the temperature suddenly dropping as clouds seeped in through the spaces in the fence railings.

"Hahahahaha.....oh Starlight, you have power....but you don't know how to _use_ it..." She mocked, leaning forward to examine him closely, her chin resting in her hand. Vapours escaped Steven's mouth as he tried to maintain distance, forcing himself off the Fountain as his instincts told him to prepare for anything. White stood up and interlocked her fingers in front of her again, her signature grin still stuck on her face. He knew it wouldn't be easy and using the Silence Spell at this point was out of the question, as it would rob him of his focus, his eyes trailing and hunting down any sudden shift or change in movement. He really could have used this sword but...would it have worked anyway?

"Don't forget, humans destroyed our Kindergarten Temples...the very method we used to reproduce and now...there are only we, who could possibly bring back the old ways...you and I can forge our own peace. Unite Human and Gem...bring back the Sacred Temples!"

He hated to point out the truth in that. Gems that deserved to live and their numbers had dwindled just as much as as the human population, with Steven killing scores of the Unsaved...those denied and corrupted by darker magics in place.

"Those humans are long gone." Steven reminded her.

"They only seek the rule themselves and to be able to live without fear of compromise."

And all the Circulatory Charms and all the regulations in place to keep a dire situation at bay as much as it could.

"And....the Son of Rose Quartz, Crystal Priest of Courage and Harmony, Spirit Seal Relic made by her to erase the sin once and for all."

White's face warped to stunned for the brief moment, blinking twice until she burst out in a series of cackles.

"Wait wait...a _Rose Quartz_? Hahahaha....oh stars, what rock have you been living under for these past twenty plus years? I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet."

Figured out what?

"It's true....what ever you think otherwise I know is just a lie. I'm sure everything you've told me so far is nothing but fairy tales to keep me at bay....getting your curses out from under my nose...you think you have the upper hand but you don't!" He retilated as he began to charge up, crackling with pink electricity.

A squint and a leaning of her head in her open hand as she used the other to dig her elbow into as she did had White thinking of something.

"No...no. I do not lie Starlight. That is not my gift." She said.

"Queen Pink, as I told you was the truly, creative one. She was a divine mistress of Lies and Stories....a powerful trickster indeed...but...they...she...I see...I see...she never said anything, did she....she was cursed. Silenced. Code woven into her as to make sure she never said a single word....how tormenting...and how...beautiful on how she can carve her cruelty onto others..."

What in the Faded World was she talking about?

"Her fine arts continue on...but you...you are not like that I see...you crave the truth more than you prefer to taste the fraudulent or shape it to your hearts desire...and Gaia themselves prefers the vengeance rule your heart more so...do you not hear them Starlight?"

No. He hears nothing but his own thoughts telling him, pressuring him to cut White where she stood...if he had his sword.

"But then again...you followed the same path. Gaian Magic. Miserian Magic, Tempestan Magic...Psychic Magic....there's a path you are destined for...she meant for that....because she studied all of them...maybe not the same way. And perhaps she found a way to silence them as well. This is tremendous. I can't imagine the horror she would have to...the lengths she would have reached to get them submit to solitude. I wish I had thought of that."

So Amethyst was right then...he was supposed to hear voices.

"But I will not liaise with meagre, obsolete thoughts. The fact remains is that you do not know...what you really are."

He was a weapon, a tool...and he had a purpose and he was prepared to die to fulfill it at any cost. This was what mattered and he was going to make the sun shine again.

"It matters little now White...you're going to di- UGH!"

He was risen up into the air without warning, power flowing out of him like a water coming out of a tilted cup. White raised her hand, using her power to raise him in the air with her abilities. Her eyes were glowing pure white as Steven struggled to break himself free of her control.

"I am disappointed in you Starlight." She said, not raising her voice.

"You could have had it all. Now you must force my hand to get you to see reason..."

Steven growled and tried to use his inner rage to get his power running, but as White made a grasp gesture with her hand, he could feel her power squeezing him...trying to crush him...but that just made him all the more angrier.

"Just like you....saw reason to conduct the Sin?" Steven cried.

White rolled her eyes.

"I told you, that was not me." She said, though he did notice her increase in volume, almost yelling now. 

"Queen Pink was the one who wrote the Code to do it! Using the Spirit Seal Relics to hold us in place, the technology from the Tellers to drain the Gods power, ensuring it didn't go astray and Gaian Magic to prevent our Gems from breaking from the Gods sheer power to contain their essences!"

No...feeble and weak Queen Pink did that...no way..._impossible_. 

"But once she saw....once she saw was happening to the humans and to the planet...she felt...guilty! She felt shame and pity...and it was too late for regrets! We won that War in moments...and for that coronation and triumph, she sought to fix her mistakes but she was always vetoed out of the discussion!"

There was a reason for that. Steven knew that much. Pinks last words came to mind:

_Oh yes...she was a wonder. Cunning unmatched, the other Diamonds envied I'm sure...for me? Let's say I admired her._

"Because...she was friends with Rose Quartz!" He called out against the strain.

"Rose must have had Pink see the error of her ways...that must have been it!"

And why Pink hardly resisted Rose taking the Gaian Knights away from her. It all made sense now. Pink meant for this all to happen; a way to atone for her crimes against the Gods and the world at large, for all the humans and Gems that suffered in the ensuing conflicts. Pinks words floated in his head again;

_Maybe you are the answer after all...the last spare...so even in her own sacrifice she did not want to admit defeat on a technicality. For she was stubborn...fearless in the face of the other Diamonds wrath...and you've become that legacy I see...being written as part of the eternal echoes of history. The winds that carried her valour, her power. As like the sun that was the most beautiful thing to see...and the moon...and the stars; those she had longed to see again..._

White groaned...now she was just as beleaguered as anyone else...suffering in Steven's ignorance.

"You are blinder than I thought you were Starlight." White stated, releasing her grip a little bit, dragging him in front of her. Her eyes flashed before him enveloping him in the Speckled Realm as he saw a figure of Queen Pink in her black robes slouched on the ground...more words of a reminder.

_ I was kind of imagining it was her on the other end of this blade, holding it here and you...have her spark..yes, I see it so clearly, in your eyes...the irrefutable influx of energy that pours through them as if she was staring right at me at this very moment. Your words are hers._

He wasn't his mother...so what in the World was White trying to tell him, as she forced him to return to reality.

"Do I have to force your Pearl to come here...so I can break the curse and get her to tell you, do I have to reach out that far to get you to consider. If you do not believe me...then you must believe your Pearl."'

If she was talking about the Priestess Pearl, he figured out that there was something wrong. Peridot knew it, Garnet knew it, Amethyst knew it, _Jasper_ knew it....his temper began to flare up again...more than it already had as the sky began to turn into shades of magenta, storm clouds brewing in shades of pink and red. The temperature increased as White looked around, fear written in her eyes. Looking at Steven as his entire body was spitting out sparks, his skin and hair warped, his eyes in flames as he continued to wrestle himself free from her grip.

"I don't care!" He screamed, voice more if a powerful wail if anything as the ground beneath him began to crack.

"A liar is a liar! And I will crack open your Gem...and I will make new truth if you like it or not!"

White then let him go as he slumped to the ground, still bringing up sparks and bolts of electricity. She stood back and began to walk back.

"How can you make new truth if you can't see actual truth?" She pointed out.

Steven threw his Shield at her neck, as she swatted it away, breaking off a piece of a fountain behind her. She could see Steven's influence poisoning her sanctuary as some of her plants began to wilt and die under his power. It was too hot for them to bare.

"Remove the Silence Curse from your Pearl...she will tell you **EVERYTHIN-AACCKK!!!**"

Steven frozen as she could see a familiar sword stuck into White Diamonds back, forcing her to poof instantly. Her Gem fell down, rolling around on the ground briefly before it stopped by a set of feet..as Aubergine looked at Steven and grinned. He tried to calm himself down as Aubergine ignored the Gem and approached him and presented him with his belongs. It was then another familiar figure came across the footpath...as she picked up White's Gem.

"Good work Steven." She said with pride.

Steven's eyes widened. This was the last thing he expected to see out here.

"Pearl, what is going_ on_?" Steven cried out.

This just worse....and more confusing.


	55. The First Compound Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven's tries to find out the truth...and it isn't pretty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Creepy chapter ahead.

A fear unknown struck down his chest so hard, Steven didn't even know what to say. The atmosphere changed instantly. It wasn't cold, hot. But eerily still, lifeless and more empty than Steven could have ever imagined. His mind clawed at logic and failed, trying to climb out of this confusing hole but still hanging on the edge. Standing there, frozen and watching Pearl radiate an alien confidence that disturbed him to no end. She had just stabbed White Diamond out of nowhere with his sword and she had gone down like that. Anticlimactic, but that was besides the point. Shall she teach the Man-Gem the answers he had subconsciously sought?

The questionable Gem looked at White's Diamond carefully, grinning as she rubbed it and put it into a bubble.

"Years ago I swore my service to a Noble Gem." She said, her smile really something else; the Pearl he knew was not in that expression at all. At least, it was the Pearl he thought he knew.

"Many Pearls had suffered long before the Sin was in place...until I met _Her_. I was granted to _Her_ and I was made to fall in love with _Her_. But you know, you are much more compassionate...."

She gave the bubble to Aubergine who nodded to both her and Steven as she inserted the Gem into her her own, as she warped away on a tile to goodness knows where. Pearl took his hand and helped back on his feet, although he was a bit shaky. She adjusted Steven's suit and tie, to make sure he was presentable as she dusted him off, before running the same hand against his chest.

"Much more _handsome._..and you have done so well...much more than _She_ ever could. But she so many problems going for her. The Gods had cursed her with the lack of luck because of how much damage she did. For you see Steven, the power of the Gods doesn't come with as much blessings as they do with curses. But your formation is special...and everything is going according to plan."

Steven gulped as he shoved Pearls hand off of him.

"You know what it means to suffer...and endure and survive and prevail. Success isn't without its failures..and to be human is to understand this, is it not?"

He had no idea what was going on right now...but...Pearl had better explain everything to him if he had the power to lift her curse.

"Pearl, tell me the truth...or how do I get to remove your superficial gag so to speak because you are being so damn creepy right now!" Steven said, as his voice quivered from his shaken outlook.

Pearl giggled, eyes half lidded as she pressed both hands against him this time.

"My true Prince must kiss me." She said flirtatiously.

_WHAT?_

"Pearl no, that's stupid." He said, shaking with nerve as she continued to touch him.

"Have you been drinking again?"

Pearl shook her head.

"No. I wish..." She acknowledged, though was thinking about it.

"But I love you Steven...and only love can release me from this curse...no kiss, no truth."

Maybe he could find the truth on his own without her...if he could find White and beat it out of her instead with her fancy talk. He was sick of it. Plus Pearl's predatory nature was scaring him.

"Surely there's a code for that." He said.

Pearl threw fist and beat it against his chest.

"No there isn't!" She cried.

"A Code of_ Her_ design isn't so easily reversed. But the only countermeasure she made was a kiss and I have suffered from this curse for so long...and I couldn't help but fall in too deeply with you..and I couldn't deny it..."

Pearl suddenly stood back from him, resting her hands on her own chest and pretending she was out of breath.

"The _tightness_ in my chest..."

Her hands went to curl around her own neck.

"And the _clenched_ throat that I could understand humans more that love really does hurt. Love is _nothing_ but _pain_ and I so desperately need for this...piercing...but I am not human. I cannot be. I will never be human."

This was just...so screwed up beyond all belief. Someone did this to Pearl and made her absolutely nuts. He should have taken Peridot's advice the first time around, but Steven didn't really want to believe it.

"So please I beg of you, kiss me and I will tell you everything!" Pearl said as she grabbed his head and forced it close to her own.

Steven was fuming but ultimately had no idea what to do. He could pity Pearl's condition more so, but..this was a true dilemma and there was a chance, a high chance that Pearl was definitely gonna take this the wrong way and wasn't gonna bother to turn back in the other direction. Instinct forced him to push her back. No, there was always another way to do this.

"No, forget it. Let's just go do the ritual. I want the world back more than I want answers." He declared.

It was like she'd fallen into this manic state. Something had corrupted her along the way and if it was Code then there was another way Steven could fix it and turn Pearl back to normal, with everything else. The rage boiled within more so, going to turn around and find his way back White's Tower, only to meet with Aubergine and two more Pearls behind her, a Yellow and a Blue one respectively, standing there, legs together, posture perfect with their hands together and the same eery grin Steven came to fear.

"The ritual can wait Steven." Said Aubergine.

"All the Pearls are preparing it. They will need ten minutes. You have time to spare, your Grace."

The instinct to fight was there too, driving Steven insane with the impossible task of desiring the flee, locked in place. He was on that cusp, after all.

Steven turned to Pearl and could now easily see the chaos in her eyes, her truest desires at the forefront. His own for the truth, wasn't exactly there, dried up with no appetite left remaining. He had to think long and hard...would it help him figure out what was going on? Would it help in the ritual? It would be deemed irrelevant if this was all going to end the way he wanted it to. But again, Amethyst's doubt came back to haunt him and it had stuck there...it had stuck there...as he had fell to his knees and had his fingers digging into his scalp.

White's words...about Queen Pink being the one that caused the Sin to happen. There was even doubt in that, even if White claimed it was true. 

What choice did he have? Would it be all for nothing...or everything that he come to understand be undone with a simple explanation.

Connie, forgive me...

He stood back up and swallowed, turning back to Pearl as he made a clenched fist. She was going to give him everything, willingly. He took a deep breath and approached her, chest puffed out slightly. Steven's glare did nothing to faze Pearl in the slightest, her uneasy smile still troubling him more than anything.

"I'll do it." He said outright.

"And you swear you will tell me everything."

Pearl bowed her head.

"Yes, my love....everything..."

Steven shirked at her calling him that. Pursing his lips and in a swift second he forcibly grabbed Pearl's head and drew hers close to his as she jumped out of surprise as he pressed his lips against hers. Their heads tilted as Pearl wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to draw his body closer to hers, wanting against her own to satiate all the types of lust she possessed. Closing his eyes and furrowing his brows, Steven felt gross, but going from the rise in energy levels he felt around him and the whitish glow that was pulsing around Pearl herself, meant that she was most likely not lying. He endured her kisses as the sheer discomfort from doing so had him digging into Pearl's skull (with a subconscious need to pop it out of frustration). Then came the point when Pearl made a soft moan, signs that she was enjoying this too much, so Steven let go of her forcibly, standing back as he wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

He suspiciously watched Pearl as she tried to get her grounding, her cheeks glowing blue and overwhelmed from the experience. It turned out the change had transformed her clothing black into a light dress with golden trimming instead of the Priestess garb she normally wore. Cut at the thighs, it had some kind of weird symbol on the bottom of each cut part of the dress; a Pearl with two feathers behind it and a golden circlet come crown around her head that focused on and around her forehead Gem with two curved in horns that protruded around the Gem. On her neck was white fabric folded around and she had a cravat that directed down more to the Diamond shaped cut out which showed the inner parts of her tiny breasts. From her elbows with matching gloves with pushed out white fabric by the elbow and the glove itself holding on to the middle fingers only.

"Oh my...that was..." She said, trying to get her stance back.

Steven's patience was already wearing thin, crossing his arms and expecting Pearl to honour her promise. 

"It did the job, now tell me what you know." He said, getting straight into it. He looked around to see the Pearls had also changed into similar designs; Aubergine had a purple variant, and the others Yellow and Blue respectively.

"Yes of course my Steven." Pearl answered, so formally as she made a curtsy. She stood up straight, her hands flat in front of her as if she was about to make a prayer, Steven looked behind him as the other peoples came in closer, doing the same gesture.

"To begin to understand, you must understand the story from the beginning.." 

It was then she made a projection from her Pearl, showing off scenes of the past as she began to tell the tale.

* * *

Eons ago, humans and Gems lived in harmony. Both species were meant to respect each other. There were the Four Gods that watched over both of them. Gems; the Holders of Power and humans, the Holders of Heart. Each species worshipped the Gods and had the four factions; the Knights of Gaia, the Undertakers of Miseria, The Tellers of Tempestas and of course, the Scribes of Psyche. Each race shared what they knew to each other, to get the best of the powers the Gods had granted them and it was meant to bring peace and prosperity...though, it was clearly, not meant to last.

The Queen Rulers had put up a front for when ever the human leaders visited them, but between closed doors there were always arguments, especially when it came to the topic of how magic had begun to evolve. Back then, each of the Queens had represented a certain sect of Gemkind. Queen White the Wise; Queen Yellow the Brave, Queen Blue the Bearer and Queen Pink the Creative. Queen White was seen as Grand Queen as all but in title, desiring the power of the Gods but never acting on her urges as to keep balance. 

She was close to Queen Pink, the youngest of the four, that creating the Knights was something she had always dreamed of doing but could never act on. Scribes would write history, Tellers would develop defensive and offensive weaponry, Undertakers would be the crafters of fine arts and magics and Pink wanted to be a part of something but never could be. White had told her she had the power to develop the world and urged her to find new ideas, to go out into the world and interact with humans and that anything of value she could find could be brought back to her and developed.

One day, Queen Pink came across Blended Magic, inspired by humans and how they could procreate. Two separate beings creating one. So, with that came fusion studied under Queen Blue. But that was clearly misinterpreted, as Queen Pink really wondered what they could create with all four magics. White forbade her from doing so, knowing that the Gods forbade such a thing, an affront to what they believed in.

But Queen insisted that they could come across something so revolutionary so she developed something in secret. She figured, if the Gods laws would not let them be creative then Pink pitched the idea to change those laws. Presenting this to White, she figured this wasn't an idea she had thought of before. White liked this so much she shared it with the other Queens. More arguments but with enough convincing, White gave permission. Then came the planning, the plotting, the Spirit Seal Relics and so forth...

And so then came the Sin.

In the background of all this, the Queens couldn't see absolutely everything going on around them. Once the Sin had been conducted, Wars had followed. Queen Pink saw the destruction she had accidentally created first hand and was dismayed in the knowledge she had done this and took blame. She urged her sisters to take back everything but they were on a power high. So she had to do what she had always done; find a creative way to solve the issue. To bring the Gods back. It took her years and the world was in a great decline.

Pink had come across the lowly Maiden Pearls; an underestimated group of servant Gems that went unnoticed, ignored due to their positions in the Caste. She found the Grand Maiden within the Maiden Reef as she was the first Pearl in existence that oversaw the unique creation of all Pearls and called for their help. For they then became the eyes and ears of Queen Pink...and for benefit, they merely pretended to serve Queen White, as the Grand Maiden was the only one who had the real control over the Pearls and so, the Grand Maiden had taken up her role. It caused her and her Pearls great pain, being subject of White's experiments just as much as Pearls that served Queen Pink and been subject to hers. The only reason that the Grand Maiden had endured the hardship, was that Queen Pink had promised them a role in the new world that would be made once the Sin was undone and that they would be allowed the love they deserved, which they had not received from their Gem superiors, used and abused their entire lives.

The Grand Maiden and Queen Pink grew close and the vision presented by the Queen was beautiful...the promise the Gods not only returning but the new era. The Grand Maiden was encouraged to find creation within the new world and that she could achieve anything. The Grand Maiden only wanted Queen Pink to be true ruler of this reality and set forth on a mission to not just restore the Gods but make sure there was only the one God in the end and that God was to be Queen Pink. However, Queen Pink had other plans.

She was still so...enamoured with humanity that during the course of pursuing a solution, that she had fallen in love with one of them. Her creative arts and her way of thinking coupled with her own experiences with humanity lead to her sacrifice, much to the Grand Maidens horror that she would lose the only one she really ever loved.

So when she was lost, the Grand Maiden was left to pick the pieces she left behind, encouraging all those she had come into contact with her. The Knights, the Priestesses, the Maidens...to find the best way to restore the world to the way that it should be, that what we would conclude it to be.

And that was, to bring in the one whom had many Sapphires held their own prophecies. His appearance in many names. Paragon Diamond; the God King; The Winged Lion; His Love Immensely, the Symbol of Creation...but ultimately He would be the result of all of our efforts and turn Him into a God to rule the world, with His Maidens.

* * *

"So you see Steven, you were _Her_ answer and the best part is...you do not have to die." Pearl said so softly, so happily.

He was left gobsmacked and in a state of pure disbelief, the strings breaking one by one in his head that he was surely going mad.

"No-No...Mom made me to die once I had killed all the Diamond Queens...she-she set me to do this!" Steven stammered.

Pearl giggled, as did the other Pearls. There was a losing battle in his mind, his skin going pale as he began to quiver, his body feverish as sweat rolled down his cheek.

"I know she did. Her intention, knowing Her true love for humans and love for life; she would have never wanted you to die Steven." Pearl told him.

"But she wants us to be creative, to explore the best way to do it without risking everything and we have done it. The Ritual itself will allow bring her dreams to fruition. This is why we are here now, our years worth of efforts not left in vain."

The worst part was that Pearl was insinuating that this was all Queen Pink's doing and roping in a Rose Quartz for the ride with the sole purpose of using her for stupid ritual...manipulating her, the Knights, the Priestess, hell even his Dad. This was disgusting and the only way out of this was Steven doing the ritual his way. If Pink encouraged creativity, then it was his decision on how this was going to pan out, not Pearls. Not the Diamond Queens, not even his mother...but his mother had found something they could use to solve the problem. It was the most logical and the pieces had fallen into place quite nicely for this to work.

"Then let me die with the Queens souls. I will make sure they will rot in hell for they have done." Steven threatened.

It was then the environment itself faded around him, leaving Steven with the Pearls alone, back into the Speckled Realm of pure darkness...he gasped as Pearls eyes went black, and hundreds of other Pearls faded into existence and Steven was hanging on by a thread, as they all stood there...or floated there, with same exaction position, on different levels, looking up or down at him in the middle, eyes half lidded with the same, copy pasted smiles as each other.

"What about Connie?" Said Aubergine.

"Do you want to leave her all alone?" Said Blue Pearl.

"You die, she will surely die." Said Yellow Pearl.

No, no no no he wanted Connie to live! She could live well and truly without him she would better off without him anyway, a sorry excuse of abomination.

"The Priestesses will look after her, she can be free in the new world to pursue her dreams!" Steven claimed, trying so hard to keep it together; the eternal struggle and fine line between sanity and complete madness.

"Why is this so hard to understand Pearl, I want to do this...please..."

He fall on to his hands he began to weep. He didn't care if Pearl threw him into this void or not....she was not as powerful as he was and she would not get what she wanted. 

"Yes I see the logic." Pearl stated.

He lifted his head in shock.

"You do?" He said.

Pearls grin only but widened as she approached him, squatting as she held his head in her hand, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You want to be with the Grand Maiden. You want me, not her. I don't blame you. She's been hiding a secret..."

No. She was lying again...again to purely bring more torment.

"I told her I was willing to respect her decision not tell you the truth. But then again, I doubt the secret you hold is even known to you so you're both equally guilty...but your secret, I understand. You were never told the burden, yours being the greatest in this endeavour of world restoration."

What was she talking about? Steven was rightfully convinced now and he was in denial before but...Pearl was definitely and without any trace of doubt, insane. He was not going to give into her lies any longer, getting up as he summoned his Shield and demanded that he release her and conduct the ritual as originally planned.

"Pearl, I've had enough." He said, tensing himself for the worst.

"Release me...or I will not hesitate to destroy you."

Pearl stood back as she pressed her fingers against her lips.

"I will bare the burden of your hate...another version of your passion I'll so readily accept as learned by Queen Pink herself." She continued as she summoned her spear, which had been warped into a staff with a the Maiden Symbol on it near the top.

"But let me ask you this. Why do you think you could contain all the Gods energies, all those souls and essences within you without tearing your body apart?"

Magic...what a stupid question.

"A mere Quartz Warrior like a Rose Quartz is durable but it does not have the capacity to withhold a single Gods power, let alone four."

Steven only understood the hierarchy of Gem types but the magic side of things always confused him anyway. But he had always assumed that the power of the Code would allow this to happen, cementing everything in as per his mothers design.

"I am not just a Quartz. The power of being a Spirit Seal Relic gives me the advantage." Steven claimed.

Pearl bowed head briefly in understanding, delighted in such a fact, though it did give her pause to reflect on what was trying to tell him. What truths to be revealed for the sake of the cause and what not to reveal just yet.

"Which come to think of it, how is Connie's body even enduring all that dormant energy inside of her? Surely that would tear her apart?" Pearl wondered.

By this point Steven was grinding his teeth. Great, more nonsense.

"If it wasn't the incubation then it could be when it begins to emerge." Aubergine pointed out.

W-what? _Incubation_?

"The sheer stress of the event would do it for her." Yellow Pearl said.

_No_, what did they _do_?

"What have you done to Connie?" Steven said in a panic, ready to pounce on Pearl at any given moment. The aura of the realm turned a darker shade of purple, giving it a bit of colour as Steven's eyes turned pink.

Pearls grin also started to piss him off more so.

"Like your mother, sadly some mistakes are made along the way. But if you were anything like her, you would learn to take advantage of those mistakes." Pearl informed him.

"It's okay I'll forgive your ignorance my love. Because if you plan to die, you won't be able to save Connie from her fate...as sad and tragic as that would be. I mean, not a huge loss but your mother would have saved her in a heartbeat...or two."

Steven still wasn't getting it. Not until Pearl projected Connie's form in front of her, standing there with her hands on her swollen stomach...

"But ignorance of the truth is going to allow it all to fester and get worse. Who knows what will happen with the incubation when it ends."

Incubation..no...impossible...he only thought Connie was getting bigger because she was being inactive and being fed more often. He certainly didn't think of her or love her any less and only cared about her well-being and happiness. He growled at himself for being so stupid to connect the dots any sooner.

"Connie...she's..._pregnant?_" Steven said in distress, his high pitch voice cracking a little. His powers began to subside with his rage fading, being replaced with a mixture of emotions dragging his mind in to different places.

Pearl nodded. That...pulled Steven into the hardest bout of panic, looking down and around, thinking real hard of how he never knew. Connie never said anything...and she never would. All those times fooling around and he had completely ignored..and forgotten and as the pieces were put into place, he only just realised the time with Blue Zircon had completely cleared his Circulatory Charms and he never bothered to get new ones afterwards...and all those times spent fooling around, slaves to their own pleasure, their hunger...it made Steven just as bad as Pearl. He was an idiot through and through, encompassed by the single minded drive to get this resolved asap and never bothered to think about much else, let alone forgetting certain aspects that he never bothered to get around fixing because of those factors. 

"She wanted to spare your feelings." Pearl told him.

"She knew how important this was to you. And that if she told you, you would hesitate. But now it no longer matters. We know that this will not result in your death and you will be reunited with her in due time once this is all over and that the child will be treated with the respect it deserves."

No...Connie. He had to see her, he had to tell her that he would....would he have...could he have not gone ahead if she told him? He wasn't sure now. It put into doubt of everything he had sworn he would do with the utmost fervour and dedication to his mothers legacy. To die with the only thing being left behind being cared for by the best people could trust; a broken heart would mend itself over time. Connie would find new love and the hurt will fade.

"But we do fear the Child could indeed possess great magic alone. Tremendous energies and without you and your powers, Connie could die giving birth...and we do want to avoid the cycle happening again."

Like his mother did with him.

"You think...that if I do this...then I will be able to save her?" He pleaded. He do anything to save Connie.

Pearl nodded again.

"Indeed Steven." 

A single white flash later, and Steven was back on the White's Sky Bridge, the sound of the nearby fountain gushing. Looking around him, it was only Pearl with him now, as every other one had vanished in the sequence. His heart race as he clenched and unclenched his fist, the debate within his head arguing. For once, he wanted the voices that were said to be there to help him decide the right answer. Yellow, Blue, Pink...his mother. His mother would be the only one he could really trust right now. Steven had the control and the power, but what White mentioned was correct. He did have the power, but scarcely knew how to use it properly.

So many mistakes happened too. Too many...not just this...but so much could have been avoided if he just stopped to think for one damn second about what he was really doing. The fact that Pearl had figured out a way for him to not die was indeed a better outcome than he could have hoped for. If she could promise to reunite Connie and his unborn child, then that's all he could ever need in the life they could build together once the Sin was undone.

"You're the only one who can do this." She said as she made the stroll around his still form, a hand around her back and staff in the other.

"Because you yourself were made to create the future as you see fit. By becoming a God yourself, you hold limitless power and I could be there, by your side as your Guide, your adviser, your enforcer, your caretaker...your preacher..."

He didn't want all that. If Steven had the chance, he would just use the power to fix everything first and discard that power shortly after as he would no longer have use for it.

"No need for the old magic. Your magic would replace everything as we know it. Because the Old Gods were so cruel in the way they allow magic to develop as it did. Imagine the lives saved Steven."

He could feel her breath by his neck and he grew antsy and tense, the fever like conditions returning to him. Would the world really need such a God to do that?

"Humans, Gems...they will love and adore their new God. They will drop their weapons at the mere sight of you, they will cry tears of joy, jubilation in their hearts as salvation is granted. So much good comes out of this Steven..."

He just feared the cost...the cost of his humanity, the cost of his Gem...

"Be the Paragon the people need."

He swallowed...the cost of his morals on the line. So much could go wrong and there was so much doubt. Where was the second opinion? He jumped as Pearl stood behind him, her hands on his shoulders as she began to whisper into his ear.

"_Be the light Connie sees at the end of the tunnel.._."

Frustration took over as he pulled himself away. If it would get Pearl to stop with the creepiness then he might as well...besides, if this was indeed to going to solve their problems, then who was he to argue? It kept him on the sane path at least if he could have knuckled it down to simpler terms. He had to remember that Pearl was a dramatic individual by default.

"Alright I get it, I get it." He said, waving at her to keep her distance.

"You could have just said you have the Code to do this a different way and I would have been satisfied without all the dramatic spiels."

Pearl gasped with joy.

"Oh, you will do it?" She asked.

Steven rolled his eyes. He didn't want to regret this.

"If you really think this is necessary to save this world and Connie, then _fine._..let's do it your way."

She began to rapidly clap in front of her face, exuberant that Steven had finally agreed to her plan.

"Oh thank you Steven, you don't know how grateful I am right now!"

_Trust me, I know._ Steven said to himself. 

"Okay, well, for us to begin, hopefully that everyone is in their place, I will take you to where we need to go. This is going to be a lot more...work than any of the other previous rituals." She said. She slammed her staff on the panel below her as it lit up, descending downwards.

"Let's quickly go through the process, we want to get this done right."


	56. The First Compound Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie tries to navigate through White's Tower before Pearl conducts the ritual and meets the person she least expected to.

Connie never knew how lonely the First Compound felt, until Pearl brought her here. It reminded her of that slice of time spent on her own in the Faded World. You would swear you could hear the chatter of the spirits of ages past, but they were so old, their language was more than outdated. At least, this time Connie wasn't really alone; Peridot was still attached to that green plush for what little comfort that provided Connie.

She had Connie isolated in White's Tower, its design more human in origin and from books Connie had read, was to said to be of a rococo style. A mix of white and black, suede black couches and anything that was wood was white and any fabric, rug or carpet was black. Sterile, cold and while well furnished with fine decor found. A sense of false power and importance or a lingering link to the past. She laid on a lounge couch, in front of a fire place which was the only colourful thing, its yellowy-orange flames and its warmth lit up the room with a glow as Connie complained about the cold. Pearl, prim, proper and perfect in stature, had made sure Connie was comfortable at least, although she was anything but.

Even entering this place, it was more deserted, much like the aforementioned echoes on the wind mistaken for voices and whispers. In here she could have the crackles and pops of the fire itself entering her ears, much better than the hollow guts. The Drylands had their unique sounds Connie had gotten used to over the years but the Compound gave off its own air of creepiness, a void of silenced souls instead of the Dust Devils lingering nearby. It took Connie many years to not fear them any more than she feared the monsters lingering outside of their save havens.

She brought out the green plush, needing some idea of what they should be doing next. Peridot already warned her not to trust Pearl, but Connie would want to know the reasons for the lack there of and...find a better way to help Steven. Looking into the big, black beady eyes of the thing, she just wanted to be able to find a better way. She was only human and everything around her was too far advanced to comprehend. She needed a Gem to make sense of things.

"What have I gotten myself into Peridot?" Connie asked.

"_You're asking me_." Peridot said.

Her hope to have the former Architect Mages help on this hinged on every single moment.

"_You don't want to go ahead with this, I can tell_."

It was true. Pearls plan on saving Steven wasn't exactly something Connie was still on board, only turning to it because they had little else to work with.

"Of course I don't." Connie said.

"I'm not...I'm not sure what's going to happen. I barely know anything about Gem magic...."

Her own knowledge on it, barely scratching the surface. Her mother taught her the basics of being a Witch Doctor; chemical reagents and the like. Everything else; even Code...still fresh territory.

"_The magic bestowed to us by the Gods. How we betrayed them so. My designs brought us all to this mess. I have every right to be punished._"

_Her_ designs.

"Then surely there must be a way to break it, or-or to stop it." Connie urged.

Connie was willing to do anything that wouldn't result in his death and at the sight of her bulging stomach, she would prefer to keep the child too. If this was indeed something Peridot found herself wanting to break the mould on her guilt, then she must help. The act of desperation had Connie cling on to anything that could make heads or tails; what better than to have a former Architect Mage on her side, a being of merit and insight in Gem kind more than most they had come across. Her depths weren't endless, but enough for Connie to work with.

"You must fix this Peridot. You feel like you need to atone for the Sin then you have to make the effort!"

By this point she had the plush above her as Connie laid her head on the armrest and the rest of her was splayed on the couch, her arms up and stretched upwards.

"_I want to, believe me_." Peridot replied.

"_It's all coming back to me in bits and pieces...like, my memory is being restored. All I remember so far is that I helped create the Spirit Seal Relics before becoming one myself. The Lapis...the Bismuth...and I think there was also a Pearl._"

Connie raised an eyebrow.

"A Pearl?" She said.

What an odd Gem to use.

"_A Pink Pearl, to be exact_." Peridot continued.

_"Yes, yes that's right. A Maiden Pearl was sacrificed to forge the Light of Psyche; she was the first of us. There's more to a Spirit Seal Relic than just the tethers. The responding tests in magic had us connected to the Gods and there was something that we found....voices, maybe the Gods even; we might have been hearing their voices but ever so faintly. But for some reason, I can hear the chime of something, someone nearby and close._"

A God? Connie was just kidding herself though.

"So a Relic can talk to the Gods? Is that possible?" Connie queried.

Anything was these days with the existence of Code.

"_I don't know...but I figure that if we can hear them, then surely they can hear us and respond. Or they chose not to. They have no real obligations._" Peridot continued.

"Or_ maybe because they'd dead. Ughh.._."

They had to try. If there was anyone that Connie would think would have the best answer would be from the highest ups they could ever reach to.

"_That's if that theory holds any weight of course...since Steven already took care of Queen Yellow I had no way of proving it._"

But if Peridot could hear something now, then maybe they had a chance.

"What do you hear then?" Connie asked.

Peridot said nothing, as they waited. It was then Connie closed her eyes, all of a sudden hearing those same whispers. She tried to focus, but otherwise they were indecipherable, sounding like old age Gem Glyph.

"It's a distress signal." Peridot answered, prompting Connie to open her eyes again.

"It's calling for help. Hmm...."

It was better than sitting around and doing nothing. Connie wanted to investigate she got up and got her scimitar. Without Pearl here to protect her, Connie had to look after herself. She grabbed a small special pink shoulder bag that kept the Witch Doctor like essentials, slinging the strap across her body then put on her scabbard and sheathed her blade. She kept the green plush in there, but had half peeking out at the side. Sturdy in place.

"I hope you know what you're doing." Peridot warned.

She didn't. But she had to have instinct guide her as it always had. If there was some truth to what Peridot had said, then they had to take the opportunity. The chaos itself unfolded by new paths taken in a better direction than the path they were on already. Connie didn't want her pregnancy to be a burden on her either, but she suspected her unborn was tougher than she thought. Taking a deep breath as she gave her sword a few swings, walking towards the door to hunt down the sound.

* * *

The Tower was a complex place. Filled with Warp Pads and stairs and pointless rooms, like it was deliberately built like a maze. Peridot would tell Connie if they were getting closer, warmer to where the voice was heard the loudest. The only problem was that there were Guards everywhere. No, not Guards...more Pearls.

Pearl did mention to avoid these ones, still slaves to White Diamond and would bend at her every whim. Though something was different in the atmosphere and Connie couldn't describe it. The world in the tower was of its own natural habitat of the dreariness behind it. It's own, dry, dead realm in a contrast. Bright, clean, clear as opposed to dark, dirty and murky. Manoeuvring with a big belly wasn't easy, but they she dipped around security and had one too many close calls with hiding around corners as Pearls with gold and white armour walked around with eery grins on their faces. Peridot had to keep reminding to stop breathing so hard; her stomping about potentially attracting unwanted attention to themselves so more than once Connie had to cover her own mouth in the attempts to mask her exhaustion and being constantly out of breath.

She had to remind herself her mother had to have gone through this too.

The voices got louder, but were still in a completely different language. It was then they came across a room with a series of giant stone pillars on each side of the room, three on each. There was marble flooring and arched pair of doors guarded by two Quartz Guardians. Unlike Quartz Warriors, Quartz Guardians more seen as a more noble variety that wouldn't succumb to bloodlust as much as the more common Quartzes they could see. They were larger and far more imposing with their White hair, one with a Gem in her forehead and another on their chest, with their giant spears, wearing cloaks and heavy silver boots, faces with black lips and pretty white eyes. Their beauty, their pose and poise so much more elegant than any other Quartz she had to meet so far.

"_Snow Quartzes_." Peridot informed her.

The two hid behind one of the pillars, only to turn briefly to see them still standing there.

"_Ferocious, no doubt. We don't stand a chance._"

Connie figured as much.

"_But the voice itself, it's so loud...it has to be behind those doors_."

And it needed their help more so.

"Any spells that can get us in there?" Connie asked Peridot.

The Plush remained vigilant for a moment, before responding.

"_Probably not a spell to say the least but I think I have something in mind. Quartz Warrior or Quartz Guardian, there's something they're inherently weak to for what ever reason...a flaw that looks like inferior Architect Mages have never been able to fix_."

* * *

Shortly after, Connie dipped to look at them again before moving back. She looked at the Pink Lion plush she found in that old Antique shop. Simpler times, where Steven and herself and wandered across the Drylands and Dead Forests and Ruins of places from the World of Before. Where they defending each other, scoping the realm and fighting monsters by day and ate, kept warm, made music and made love to each other by night. Throwing the plush on the ground, she watched as the two Snow Quartzes's eyes switched to it as it fell to the floor. Confusion riddled their faces at first, as the pair went to investigate. What was it with Quartz's and their curiosity for soft toys?

As they passed through pillars towards the item, Connie slipped past on the other side and got herself closer to the doors, trying to keep herself low and aware while the Quartzes were distracted. By the time she got to the end pillar, she checked to see that the two Gems too busy trying to figure out what they were looking at, as Peridot urged Connie to open the doors. However as she did so, they made a loud noise, bring attention to the Quartzes as Connie did not accommodate for the creak. She froze, until Peridot called her out to hurry up and go inside. She saw the Guardians sprint in her direction as she squeezed herself in and shut the doors.

"_Quick, there's a barrier lock on the right hand side!_" Peridot called out.

Connie ran to an interface on the right hand side and pressed a red button, which summoned a Diamond shaped lock which kept the doors in place, as well as a bluish watery barrier to help defend it. They could hear the Guardians slam on it several times, until another door, made a of a black metal alloy, shifted downwards from above and locked itself into place, silencing the noise from outside.

Sighing, she got her breath back, holding her belly as she turned to look at the room. Her eyes widened. Going by the scores of wooden shelves everywhere with hundreds if not thousands of books; this must have been a Library. It consisted on three floors with stairs leading up to the second floor on the sides of the room and a set in the middle to lead up to the third floor.

She'd never seen one in such a good condition before, with so much knowledge within them that Connie wished she could pour through all of them....but as Peridot made her stinging point clear.

"_Look there, on the second floor!_"

They could see a floating cyan bubble with a White Gem within in it.

"_I can hear the voices so clearly now, quickly!'_"

Running was such a hard task these days and going upstairs proved to be near impossible. But after effort, she'd gotten up and the bubble floated downwards towards her hands. Somehow, she could sense a great power emanating from it. She wasn't sure if she should unbubble it.

"Peridot...I don't know if we should be popping this thing." Connie said, uncertain.

But even she, could hear the voices, maybe not as maddening it was to Peridot but it was very vocal now.

"_Do it anyway, it will answer us I know!_"

Relenting, Connie took out her scimitar and popped the bubble with the tip, forcing her to catch the Gem as it fell. Shortly after it started to glow. Connie let it go as it floated there on its own, but kept her sword pointed towards it as a form took place, revealing a White being with the Gem in their forehead. She had the same beauty as the Quartzes, but radiated a far stronger aura than anything else. She was a bit dismayed and left catching her own breath, looking around as she was a bit disorientated for what ever reason.

"_Oh no...that's...that's Queen White!_" Peridot called out in panic.

Her heart would have stopped, Connie frozen briefly, but was able to stand back a tiny bit, but such a halting fear came to pass, replacing it with the confusion of the Queen's state; it didn't seem like she was aware of what was going on at all. Connie was beside herself, frightful of what the Gem was going to do but she needed her attention.

"Queen White!" Connie yelled with all the confidence. Showing her fears wasn't going to do her much better anyway, figuring that standing her ground was the only power she could wield.

The Diamond stopped, her hands on her cheeks, knees bent inwards as her eyes made the slow trail from unfocused, making their way towards Connie. The human stood her ground to one of the most powerful beings in existence, though a sense of insanity and misplaced despair was coming from her expressions and distraught mutterings. She definitely was crazy.

"You...a human..in my Sacred Library." She said, almost in a whisper, her callous apparent.

"No one gave **you** permission to enter."

No way Connie was going to die here either. So she had to do what she could...and wring out everything White knew.

"No they didn't." Connie said sternly.

White pushed her hand out, splaying it towards Connie, making a twisting motion with it as she tilted her head and squinted towards her. She waved the other way, moving the hand downwards towards her stomach.

"But you are_ far_ from human in power. Tell me, why are you here?"

Connie refused to back down, lifting the tip of her blade close towards White's face.

"I am here to restore the world." She proclaimed with confidence, giving the Queen a soft glare.

That resulted, however, in White rolling her eyes.

"Another one on this pointless crusade." She complained, pulling her hand back as she stood up straight.

"The dignity of a Queen to be dissipated by one of her own underlings....tragic but I see now I need to do some cleaning up."

This was new. 

"_This explains why she was stuck inside the bubble._" Peridot voiced to her.

"_Something about this is off. Ask her more questions._"

Something indeed. No one as powerful as White would be poofed so easily without a good reason. She could taunt her but now wasn't the time, especially when it was being wasted.

"Tell me everything you know."

a demand that garnered so much ire within White alone that she was reluctant but there was so much disdain for this unknown underling alone. It definitely confirmed that it wasn't Steven that sent her here though.

"You did free me from my confines so I suppose I can reward you with _some_ knowledge." White stated, exasperated.

Not that it was intentional. She just had to have a good reason...no, just an explanation with her abhorrent actions. Steven would be best here to strike her down in an instant, but Connie wasn't going anywhere without understanding it all herself. Connie pulled her scimitar back, a show of respect to their temporary truce. Though, Connie wasn't as curious as to why the Sin was done, as she could easily chalk that down to wanting to gain power. Power lusts common in stories, so that did not garner her interest. Instead, she wanted to know how to solve this problem they had.

"You wanted Steven to come to you. But right now, Steven is in grave danger of dying. I am not letting him die for a mistake you made!" Connie called out.

White walked towards a couch and lied down on her side on it, rubbing her eye and generally being irritant.

"Oh stars this conversation _again_." White grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"People really have been getting the wrong idea? Pff it matters little. The Pearls are up to no good and someone is telling me how not to make mistakes when they can't even get the story right!"

Of course the....wait, Pearls?

"What do you means, _Pearls_?" Connie queried.

White sat up straight, her hands on her lap as she talked.

"The Maiden Pearls. I had been using them in the conquest to annihilate my sisters and claim complete Godhood for myself, but I seemed to be suspecting the wrong people. They were very smart to misdirect me...their motives to sabotage my hard work during the end game was a brilliant move. I am...impressed."

What was she talking about?

"And my own Grand Maiden had done everything! Maybe it was that twisted sister of mine who planned it from the beginning. When I focused on Her it lead me to ignore all my Maidens. How foolish of me...and now there may be no escaping my fate after all."

"Grand Maiden?" Peridot gasped.

"Yes, yes the Grand Maiden! The First Pearl created. their leader...this makes so much more sense now!"

No doubt in Connie's mind in that she connected the dots quickly. Their Pearl was the Grand Maiden and somehow she had taken down White without warning and plans to use her as part of the last set of rituals required to cleanse the world of the Sin once and for all.

"Do you have regrets with what you did." Connie asked her.

White rubbed her chin and hummed.

"Regret is a useless emotion, but I must admit I pushed Pink in the direction that she had suggested." White said.

"Her art is simply the seeds that we needed to nourish and grow to perfection. The Compounds created, to attain perfection to new levels never before seen. I instilled that into all my sisters. A Diamond must be flawless or achieve beyond one hundred percent. I can safely say, Pink had done just that."

Pink? Weak and feeble Pink Diamond had did all of this? How? She had her own Knights stolen from her, how in the world could she have planned this?

"Steven killed Pink in her own Compound. If she was so smart, she would have avoided her own death." Connie pointed out.

White then smirked, putting a pinky into a her lips as she lost focus, a goofy smile upon her before she could look at the human again.

"No. It wasn't what she could do while she was alive, but what she could do in death." White continued.

"Oh deary me, she thinks that her own death would have sufficed to get the voices out of her head. Figures. Gaia would have been tormenting her the most. Perhaps giving her secrets. She was creative, but ultimately, she submitted to the Gods will. Strangely enough, I can sense that a part of Gaia lies within you, young human...why is that?"

No? Connie could only understand the child's potential to have abilities (something her mother warned her about.) So maybe that was what White was talking about. White looked at her belly and nodded.

"You are...expecting. Interesting. So He is the father I imagine? Very interesting."

And she was not letting White get them.

"Maybe that was her goal. To have children." She continued, as she stood up and paced around the room.

"Pink was the one most enamoured with lower life forms. The loss of our Kindergarten Temples was a devastating time but ultimately, we would be fine without them. There's no need to have such a large population as long as you have competent ones under your wing."

Not how Connie envisioned it, knowing how Steven used to talk about the sad state of the Pink Compound constantly. Somewhere along the line, Pink lost the will to care for them.

"Does this...Weapon hear those voices? Hm? Did Pink somehow manage the power to _silence_ them?"

What...what was...Pink had nothing to do with Steven at all. Connie was so confused. All she knew was that Rose and Pink were close but that had to have been many years before she had Steven. Steven never mentioned hearing anything either so...

"No." Connie replied.

"I mean, Steven never really had anything like that. All he saw was visions and you tormenting him."

White nodded, trying to get the picture herself as well.

"Yes connecting to him because our close links. But if he didn't hear the voices, then her plan worked. Hahah....she didn't want the guilt or the shame, the reminder of her mistake as he so called it during our brief chat earlier."

He?

"_Is she still talking about Steven?_" Peridot inquired.

That's what Connie wanted to know.

"You saw Steven?" Connie asked.

White chuckled.

"Of course I did. My plan to get him here with the other three essences was about to be completed. Him and I were debating on how to best handle such a fragile and complicated procedure through fusion. I had plans to destroy him but the information surrounding his fusion with the Grand Maiden had me pitch up a less violent solution."

So Pearl was right. They did fuse. No matter, it was irrelevant.

"That was until, the Grand Maiden decided she had different plans herself and here I am now, talking with this...human and wasting time instead of going out there to clean up a mess."

As White started to move on, Connie raised her blade to stop her in her tracks. This wasn't going to be done without a proper resolution. She would not allow White to fuse or kill Steven, but if she thought that fusing with him was better than murdering him outright, then Connie may have to accept the lesser of two evils. She should have seen this coming, since Pearl had become increasing unhinged as of late; the signs more obvious than not. But Connie wanted to find something else, something else better than both.

"Let's both of us fix this then." Connie decreed.

"You're the only Diamond Queen left standing that has the power to change this. The Sin can be undone! We know this. There's still the chance to get it right and still achieve perfection through unity. Even if it takes forever, we can right wrongs."

White sneered, displeased with that aspect.

"You sound just like her..._ughh._.." She complained.

Only from what Connie had already learned from Steven alone. His power of words influential for many outcomes. Connie had to ensure the least amount of destruction, however. She wasn't as physically capable, risking everything here to get the Diamond Queen to find a better way, to seek the strength within herself and to admit what she had conducted was wrong and become a better person out of it. She understood how much pain and anguish she had wrought the world and if Connie was anyone else, she would have cut White on where she stood. But the compassion, the Steven within Connie told her to keep trying otherwise even standing toe to toe with one of the most powerful beings in existence.

"You can still rule Gem kind, but leave humans out of this. Let them live their own lives." Connie demanded.

"AN-"

"Stop."

Connie did so as White raised her hand. Energy surrounded the room as its on mist, raising up in the Queens fury that caused her heart to race faster. She was, for the lack of a better word,_ pissed_. The room went deathly cold as goosebumps rose up on her skin. This didn't look good.

"You are _not_ in any position to tell me what to do human! Just because you freed me, doesn't mean much else in the long term. Humans are worthless and when I am done, I will discard the lot of you...I will leave us the own remaining dominant species!"

Panic fled through Connie's form as she could see Whites eyes brimming with power, before shooting off a beam in her direction, Connie couldn't move, with little time to do so, instinctively shielding herself with her arms in the fruitless attempt and had zero time to think and quickly praying to herself not to die. Until...

A barrier shielded her... a pink hexagonal barrier deflected the beams with little effort. She moved her arms, looking up and down at the strange, opaque wall. She looked around, thinking Steven was in the room. But...it was only them. But how? It left White dumbfounded too. Connie looked down to see part her stomach was glowing pink and her eyes went wide.

"_Your child!_" Peridot cried out.

"_It used his powers, it must have protected you!"_

_Impossible._

White sneered, glaring at Connie and made the attempt; trying to obliterate her again, but the barrier remained in place and while the room shook, the barrier did not at once weaken under her influence and strength. Connie was left gobsmacked.

"_But a Quartz type barrier....how in the world does it...it should have broken underneath...unless..._" Peridot murmured, trying to find the logic. Diamonds were the strongest and should have been able to break anything under it...

"_What she says...about fusing with Steven...and how...oh I am so **stupid.**..and I call myself an Architect Mage..._"

By this point, White was absolutely furious and calling for Connie to get rid of the barrier so she could tear the woman apart, but Connie herself was left dismayed at this change in development; her child getting such strong powers like that, meaning Steven's influences must have been more powerful than she imagined. Steven by default was incredible, seeing him tear apart Gems left and right and easily destroyed monsters...but...

"What are you talking about?" Connie muttered to Peri.

"_It's so obvious!_" Peridot continued in her revolutionary rant.

"_White was saying it all this time; Steven's mother wasn't Rose Quartz. Steven's mother was none other than Diamond Queen Pink!_"

No...how...she had to get clarification on this properly so she wasn't going to lose her mind entirely. Did Steven know this? There was no way he didn't but...it made Connie question so much, like who was the Pink he killed in the Fourth Compound for example. Who was Rose Quartz really? Connie needed to get to the bottom of this and fast; Steven didn't have long and Connie had to keep things together for his sake. Because this shouldn't be how it was supposed to end. Connie wouldn't allow it, even it looked impossible.

"You said...something along the lines that Queen Pink created Steven." She said, her voice shaking with horror.

"And about him potentially hearing voices...."

White grumbled as she gave up on her little rampage for the moment, sparing more time to talk.

"Yes...yes I did." She said.

"All of us, at some stage or another, hear the voices of the Dead Old Gods. With enough time and concentration and effort we learned to snuff them out and ignore their shrills. Queen Pink, it seemed, did not. Her petty desires to undo the Sin before, we all knew was because of the Gods screaming at us for what we did because their souls are within us all. And if Steven holds the souls of Gaia, Miseria and Tempestas, then surely by now he would have gone mad. Pink must have had something within his design that shuts them all up..."

Closing her eyes, she could hear the ethereal tones once again, voicing their distress....and among the words she didn't understand, she heard one word..._Connie_. 

"_The voice is within White, that has to be Psyche._" Peridot told her.

"_They're calling for you. They need your help!_"

The fact that Steven was half Diamond...and that the power Connie wielded now was evidence of that fact...in turned everything on its head and raised more questions than any answer.

"Psyche is begging for change, White." Connie uttered.

Shock riddled itself on White's face...she was not expecting that.

"You....you hear them too?" She questioned, her voice cracking a bit.

Connie nodded. The amount of torment that the Gods had been experiencing as of late, the way that they had been unwittingly sealed into these Diamond Queens must have caused them a great deal of anguish and resentment for their predicament. White felt her forehead and was gritting her teeth, in apparent pain, as the voices got louder...and louder which caused no amount of again to the Queen herself.

"No, you **cannot** talk to her! you..."

A scream cut her voice short, as white rays shot out from her eyes and mouth but this time was just...harmless light, like something was trying to take hold of White herself. Her stance called attention to how much this must have caused her grief, shaking and shivering, the madness revealing. Until she stopped, stood up straight and dropped her eyelids halfway as she looked at Connie. The aura in the room had increased in chest thumping instruction, a thickness to where most would struggle to breath. It wasn't cold...but rather mild.

"_**Grand Maiden**_ _**Pearl aims to do the ritual to resurrect the Paragon**_." White said, although the multiple inflections and echoes were not of her own, freaking Connie out.

"_It's...Psyche.._." Peridot muttered.

They were talking to the Old God now? This was getting weirder by the moment. Psyche raised White's arms up, positioning herself in a weird pose as her palms were towards the roof and was in a lulled state that definitely warped the air around them.

"**_She thinks this will bring peace. It will only wreak devastation as it has in ages past. The Original Sin._**"

Connie tilted her head.

"What's the Original Sin?" Connie queried.

Psyche lifted her chin, waving White's hands about as a whispy stream of clouds poured out from finger tips, sparkling and turning the room colder than it should have been.

"_**I remember what is forgotten by most.**_" They said.

"_**The Paragon is too powerful to exist. Hence, why it decided to create us and Gem kind from its power. To balance itself out to protect the world from itself. To protect, humanity.**_"

No way...but, what about Steven's solution? There were so many theories on how to protect this world.

"_**An event, known as the Fracturing was conducted. Broken Stars and Shattered Skies. The Paragon was not meant to interfere but it did, so it would willingly sacrifice itself for this purpose. The Original Sin, was their suicide.**_"

So what were the Old Gods to Paragon then?

"What about Gaia? Tempestas? Miseria?" Connie questioned.

Surely they had their parts in all of this.

"_**We were the balance that maintained the health and well-being of this world. Miseria, our soul and our oceans. Tempestas, our body and our storms. Gaia, our compass and our Earth....as for me, I was our mind and our skies.**_"

All once part of the Paragon.

"What do you mean, Gaia is your compass?" Connie continued.

It was an odd attribute to be sure.

"_**Gaia was the last born, just like Queen Pink. They would be the direction of which where all Gods would be lead. Not all paths would lead to greatness however. There was no order or chaos. Only growth or destruction as part of their plan.**_"

This twisted Connie something fierce. The Gods themselves representations of all that could transpire in this reality and the next. To resurrect the Paragon in the way Pearl envisioned, was a dangerous task to behold. Steven was still under the belief that taking the Gods and killing himself was the only way. But if Pearl had her way, that wouldn't be the case.

"_Gaia must have gotten into Pearls head somehow. It had to be their fault_." Peridot said.

"_I mean, hearing voices...they must have gotten in Pink's head too._"

Was Gaia their real enemy here? Connie had to know.

"Listen, Psyche." Connie began to plead as she sheathed her sword and approached White's form. If anyone could be reasoned with, surely the God must see things for they really were and desire to bring matters back to normal. 

"I want to resurrect the world! I want to find a way to do this where there's the least amount of death possible! I don't want the Paragon back, I just want Steven to survive!"

Psyche slowly closed her eyes; as they moved heavily underneath the eyelids, her focus elsewhere for a brief moment before they snapped back open.

"_**Gaia lead us here...will they lead us out?"**_ Psyche wondered out aloud.

"_**Is this world due to perish, the final extinction of both species their aim?**_"

No. It couldn't. Connie pulled on White's hand and forced her to feel her stomach.

"Does this feel like extinction to you?" Connie asked her.

She felt Psyche's glowing white fiery eyes on her, perplexed as their hand cautious rubbed Connie's stomach, minding White's black talon like nails. Connie was risking everything to prove a point. Psyche even gasped, feeling a kick as they pulled their hand back in surprise, rubbing their wrist as they contemplating on what they had just experienced.

"_**Life in creation, as opposed to life in cessation.**_" Psyche murmured.

"_**Millennia, lost in this Faded World without hope of growth. The Rage of Gaia, follows destruction. The Love of Gaia, follows growth. There has been no Love in the Faded World; people are too afraid of colour.**_"

The Sword? Were they talking about the sword?

"What if people weren't?" Connie dared, although it was a very unusual statement in her mind anyway.

"_**Colour needs to be balanced with reality.**_" Psyche told her, as she began to walk off and walk down the steps. Connie all but followed her in her slow pace as she strode.

"_**Magic and pure strength must be tempered equally. Following the rules keeps everything in check. Bending the rules risks results you do not want.**_"

Just like Psychic Magic.

"_**This Pearl, has bent much in the wake of the world she wants from this. I feel, the results will not be in her favour. Diamond Queen Pink was not trying to follow those rules but was making them. Gaia entrusted this Diamond with such power. So she had made all the work necessary for this. The formation of the Hybrid, a rule written by her.**_"

"_And the Compass directed her to do so. That explains why Pink was trying to erase her mistakes_." Peridot theorised.

Did it though? In Connie's mind it kept coming back to surmise that Gaia told her to conduct the Sin as opposed to not forcing her to do it.

"_**Queen White had discouraged the young Diamond Queen originally. The Compass, changed direction. The Unforgiving Sin, as it was called. An accident on rules bent. We were not angry. We followed the Compass.**_"

Then why...why was the world like this then?

"_Wait, let me get this straight._" Peridot said, a bit annoyed.

"_So the Gods just let his happen because Gaia wanted it to? I don't understand how they couldn't be angry about their powers being stolen_."

She had a point.

"And so Gaia wants...wants this fixed up? Right?" Connie said, her mind trying to not shatter under what Psyche had been telling her.

All Connie could see was the back of White, whom then turned around, emotionless.

"_**Their voice cannot be heard. If the Hybrid cannot hear them, then we do not know where the Compass leads us.**_" They revealed. They then walked up to Connie and squatted down before her, taking a good luck at her stomach.

"_**That being said, I can hear voices within you, human. Gaia's power rests deep within the unborn. It calls for me.**_"

"_I still don't understand what is going on here. This talk of Compasses and Sins and broken rules...this Old God stuff must have been discarded a long time ago._" Peridot complained.

Maybe they weren't meant to understand. Gods were Gods. Their power and wisdom untold and incomprehensible by default. 

"_**Gaia needs me. Without the logic of the mind, the Paragon will be incomplete.**_" Psyche said.

"**S_omething will form will not show the skies true form without me_.**...**_The Incomplete One..._**"

Psyche violently shook their head, beginning to go back into the painful state White was in earlier, grunting and screeching.

"No! I will _not_ be a part of your game Psyche!" White called out, taking back control. The atmosphere whisked up immensely, the prestige of White's ire making itself known quite clearly.

"This power is mine and _mine_ alone! Only **I** shall see this world cleansed of imperfection and I will be the only true God!" She cried. She looked at Connie and pointed at her with strong accusation.

"What you hold is an _abomination_, but I cannot toy with you any longer; I will slay and consume first!"

A gust of wind pushed Connie over, as White used her telekinetic abilities to force the steel door to shift up, the barrier to weaken and the doors to open in that order. Before the doors were the two Snow Quartzes that were guarding the door that shifted back as they saw their Queen. White was so angry that she instantly reached out to their Gems and crushed them, absorbing their power the same way Steven had done with his, before she slammed the doors shut behind her.

Connie was out of breath again, struggling to get up, as tears ran down her eyes. Her back ached, holding her stomach as she hissed from the sharp sting on her muscles. White couldn't do this. Steven was in even more danger...and Connie wanted to cry and sob because of the amount of pain she had been in. Her emotions ran rampant, unable to keep them in check, although she was able to reach into her bag and grabbed the green plush.

"What...what I do? I can't give up but it's hopeless to go out like this!" She cried.

"_I know, I know, I'm trying to think of something myself._" Peridot replied.

"_But Psyche, what Psyche was saying is true. Gaia is calling out. And their power is a part of you....well, the kid obviously._"

But Connie wasn't part Gem so how in the world could she take advantage of that. At some stage, she was able to get up off the ground, albeit with great effort wincing and sliding herself across the ground to get to the door. She tried to open it, but White must have somehow locked it on the other side somehow. She slammed it several times, screamed even. But fruitlessly, no one came. So she went to go sit down on the couch nearby to relax, rubbing her belly and contemplating so much. Surely Pearl would come to find her, but Connie figured, that Pearl was actually the last person she wanted to see.

She knew she was going to regret doing this and Connie hated how she just went along with her plan. Stomping her foot as she hunched over, legs spread she dug her fingers into her scalp, disappointed of events had unfolded. Steven was going to die and it was all Connie's fault.

"How do I talk to them though? Gaia is in Steven, it always has been." She said.

"_I doubt it was talking in a literal sense_." Peridot stated.

"_Buut you know, we are in a library. If we're going to be stuck in here, then we might as well try and find something in here while we wait._"

Connie gritted her teeth and growled.

"We can't wait!" She said.

"We need to get out now!"

Connie wanted to be angry and furious and it was all directed at herself, but unfortunately Peridot had been subconsciously selected as her target. It wasn't her fault and Connie shouldn't be annoyed with her...because after a deep reflection, and the futility of being stuck in a room like this, Connie hadn't had much choice in the matter. She pinched her nose, trying to calm down and attempt to pass logic into it. Peridot wasn't wrong. There were here with a mass of resources to use. White must have collected valuable books over the years, maybe something that help save Steven...or even get out of this room.

"_Got any idea how?_" Peridot said sarcastically.

"_Unless you figure out how to use Gaian Magic automatically out of thin air I suggest we start reading._"

A nodded and pursed lip later, Connie got up with more effort than before. Looking up and around the shelves with scores of ancient tomes, she worked alongside Peridot to find something they could use.

And they had to do it fast.

Meanwhile, back the Temple, a series of Cypress Vines had completed overridden the Garden, covering it entirely as red, star shaped flowers popped out everywhere as it broken through the glass windows in the greenhouse, signifying what was to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WoTU reference with the Snow Quartzes =D


	57. The First Compound Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven prepares for the ritual, but more issues arise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm psyching myself up for some interesting reactions. Please comment how you feel after reading this.

It felt like something twisted and changed; ebb and flow had been altered in a way Steven couldn't describe. He'd followed Pearl into a room within White's Tower to get changed and once he had been, he was taken to the Plaza, coming across a striking sight.

He'd changed into something more comfortable than White's suit; now wearing a hot and dark pink ceremonial armour with black fabric underneath. The armor itself had some kind of flowery decor that showed off his Gem and was a bit of tight fit, almost squeezing him a bit. Still, he felt like a Knight, an official Gaian Knight. After changing, he'd been taken to the Compound Main Plaza which by the Compounds Coliseum. Instead of white tiles, was an extremely wide and flat surface of black and grey brickwork, aligning in symmetry and design. Open, vast and spacious, where there were dozens, if not hundreds of Pearls preparing what appeared to be a giant rune. It looked complex; scores of Gem Glyphs as Aubergine made sure to stand Steven in the centre circle. There were four circles in total, with small circles on each side. Like a clock, each a smaller circle on twelve, three, six and nine were drawn out on the outer most circle. She then placed the Volleyball on twelve, but then...unlike the other rituals, placed the Rage of Gaia on the the Nine. How odd. What was that doing there?

He swallowed, trying to psyche himself up for the inevitable. Pearl had gone to collect the last pieces for the ritual to take place, presumably, Queen White's Gem. She had been busy for the last hours directing her Pearls to get into their places, a lot of them standing in the distance. Each of them designed differently, but all of them had the same copy and pasted smile and pose; their hands clasped together in front of them and standing up straight and not saying a single word, while Yellow and Blue Pearls continued to work on the runes. There were smaller runes on the outside of the bigger one, perhaps as part of the process to help ascend Steven.

To become a God; it was not something Steven had dreamed about. Godhood was not on his agenda by far. His dreams kept flashing back to smiles and tears from his mother in short flashes, but then it kept dragging back to people he'd never met or knew about and dreams about Queen Pink; something that was perhaps, linked to his hatred of the Diamond Queen. They'd stopped briefly after her shattering but after hearing what Queen White had to say about her being the source of all the pain in the world...

_Queen Pink was the one who wrote the Code to do it! Using the Spirit Seal Relics to hold us in place, the technology from the Tellers to drain the Gods power, ensuring it didn't go astray and Gaian Magic to prevent our Gems from breaking from the Gods sheer power to contain their essences!_

He could understand her guilt if true. But that raised more questions about his mother. The Faded World had suffered from Queen Pinks mistakes, barren lands of skeletons and dead trees and endless amounts of dust, dirt and sand...skies of scattered light in clouds and monsters in the night tied to the Blue Stone Micro-Temples he had been seeking out for years, slaying each of them across the world. That each day blurred into the other, rinse and repeat and with environments and ruins with stories he used to imagine of people living in these places where they were free to live, play and work as they pleased, not worrying about the tyranny of the Queens. All that remained were dustly spectres and burning ghosts as reminders of eras lost...with Steven only hinging on the thread of life to sustain him in those years of pure loneliness.

Until he met Connie and dreams that be that were formed in the wake of her arrival.

Pearl said he could save Connie with his newfound Godhood...his fear was mainly losing himself to the power completely. He didn't want power and he didn't want to use it, knowing how powerful he could be if it wasn't tempered correctly, visions of his battle with Jasper haunting him to this day. He wanted the normalcy and the peace between Gems and humans. A pipe dream, some would say. She had come around when it had begun to weaken, when he felt like every day had become just the same for no reason at all, his mind going towards the feeling of bloodlust; signs found in Quartz Warriors normally. 

The air was still cold, sterile as it had been and the skies a bit darker now as the shroud of the clouds lost their light scatter. Tall black lampposts lit up the area, situated around the four circles and lights in the ground turned on in synchronised flashes. Aubergine stood before him, taking a white book out of her gem alongside a black quill.

"Doing the final touches?" Steven asked her, nervously.

As like the rest of the Pearls, Aubergine couldn't stop smiling.

"Just doing some scans." She said.

"White Zircon; unbeknown to Queen White, had been exceptionally helpful in altering some of the more strengthened Circulatory Charms. The Blue Compound wasn't equipped to deal with some of the stronger variants imposed upon you; The Grand Maiden understood that as part of your creation, your mother had placed some Code on herself before passing it on to you."

He guessed that would sense. Some Code could be weird like that and it didn't surprise Steven in the slightest, though what she did place was uncertain.

"One of them was a very powerful variant of the Silence Spell. It took a while to try and disable it, as the remedies made did require some samples which Pearl had collected from you."

He doesn't remember giving Pearl anything; when did that happen? And a Silence Spell on him was unheard of. He couldn't fathom any real reason or truth behind such a thing from being conducted.

"I wonder what it's purpose was." Steven queried.

Aubergines hand gestured over Steven's form as a small ring of purple projected out of it, continuing her scans.

"The Grand Maiden knows that more than I." She said.

"But it looks like you're ready. All we need to do is wait for the Grand Maiden to return with the last pieces so we can finally do the ritual."

He hadn't known Aubergine for long, unsure of where she lied in the overall scheme of things. Like with everyone else involved, this must have had some insane planning on Pearls end too, like the fact that his mom created him for this very moment; making his mark on the world. No wonder why she was like how she was; he figured she wanted to get this done just like his mother asked her to. He didn't like how obsessed she'd become however, declaring her love for him so readily that he pretended not to notice or play along. She'll get over it, surely once everything was right again. Curses were weird things.

"Do you think I'll live through this like Pearl said I would?" Steven wondered. A sentence he never saw himself asking.

The Gem put her stuff back in her Gem but there was a tiny bit of uncertainty on her face, through her smile.

"Code is a very...convoluted magic." She said.

"We have run simulations to entail that the entire reason for this was for the betterment of the world at large. Why have four Gods when you can have One God; the only one who really understands life, death, love and birth."

That didn't answer his question. He sighed, figuring that Aubergine was just as weird as the rest of the Pearls here; so obedient, neat, precise and dedicated to this one cause Steven had more doubts about than he could count. He then noticed Pearl storming towards him, exceptionally pissed off herself in a way he hadn't seen in a while, so Steven steeled himself; something had definitely gone wrong.

"Damn it, both pieces are missing!" She said, before changing into her more combative gear; the outfit Steven was used to her seeing.

He'd never seen her so aggravated like this. Steven was right. She was obsessed.

"Aubergine, I need you to find those pieces. Who knows where they have gone; take Yellow and Blue with you and bring them to me now! I will not have any further delays!"

The purple Pearl bowed her head, as Yellow and Blue Pearls followed suit, the three running off to find these supposed parts, meanwhile Pearl tried to maintain a sense of calm, not showing weakness in front of the other Maidens as she had a hand on her forehead, pacing around and muttering to herself.

"What are we missing?" Steven asked, wanting to help anyway he could.

Going from her reaction, they sounded critical. She turned to Steven, raising her hands together in front of her and forcing a smile out of all the raincloud.

"Nothing for you to worry about, my love." She said, pretending everything was okay in her sing song voice, walking up to him and touching his chin with her finger tips as she changed the subject so quickly.

"You look much better in this suit of armour. Personally commissioned and enchanted for you; befitting the High Priest in all of his glory."

A title that was all but official in name. White wanted him as a King and Pearl wanted him as a God; a figure of power and leadership that Steven had to admit himself he really wasn't prepared for; years spent alone and wondering so much with his life, following the word and oath of his mother; faces to names he had to seek out and go on with her work as she had designed him to. A weapon...that had no choice but the chance to set it all in a way it was destined for him to become.

"Soon to be God right?" Steven stated, raising an eyebrow.

Pearl made a light giggle, striking more fear within him than he liked it to be.

"Hehe yes that's right." She said, blushing.

"And I wil-"

_ **BOOOOOM.** _

A huge explosion sounded off in the distance, forcing all the Pearls to turn around as a smoke plume with crackles of white electricity around them emerged from some of the far Towers. Steven could sense this incredible power pouring out from that direction alone, seeing a spikey haired demon emerging from it. 

"Oh no, White has resumed her true form." Pearl gasped, before she summoned her spear. She then grabbed her White book and quill and handed it to Steven.

"I will need your help. White will seek to destroy you and take the power for herself. I need you to do as I taught you and create a Code Spell that will allow us to trap her. I will rendezvous with the other Pearls to try and assist in taking her down."

* * *

Steven nodded in understanding, watching as Pearl ran off. He figured it would have come to this, the inevitability of fighting White. It wouldn't have been easy to keep her contained; being the strongest of the Four Queens. A sick, twisted desire in his chest had Steven looking forward to fighting her more than he realised. He pinpointed this to the lack of fear in dying; what ever the resolution was, Steven suspected a part of him would die anyway, that he might as well fight to the end, to give in the bloodlust as his Quartz heritage had been begging to do for years. It brought to mind what Pearl said earlier;

_The **tightness **in my chest..._

_And the **clenched** throat that I could understand humans more that love really does hurt. Love is nothing but pain and I so desperately need for this...piercing...but I am not human. I cannot be. I will never be human._

Was Steven correct to call himself as such either? Was he capable of understanding Gems or humans? The energy that flowed through his veins was something Gems would never feel and that neither could humans begin to imagine it. It was painful. A flaw in the design...or it was meant to be.

But hurt was hurt; hidden aspirations to let loose and go wild were evidence enough in any time he had been with Connie, disgusting as it was to fall in line with the sexual lust as well. The pain, the pleasure, the increased heartbeat and the unleashing of energy had become all the same. Self reflections had Steven prevent himself from doing any more damage; even refraining from making love with Connie not matter how much it troubled both of them. That last time they did; Steven had grown wary of inputting godly energies into himself that Connie would sooner die from him wanting to, well, fuck her harder so to speak. He was so scared of himself after that night, remembering how much he must have taken out of Connie alone and now with her pregnancy, Steven became more critical of his physical actions more so. He loved her so much as well that he couldn't do it anymore; couldn't bare the thought of her coming to more harm in the state he found himself slowly deteriorating into bit by bit...Diamond Queen by Diamond Queen, God by God...nightmare by nightmare.

Even now, Steven used all of his will-power to resist the urge to destroy. It had been stronger than ever but meditation taught by Garnet helped him keep it relatively steady and focusing what he could on his work. Distractions, much needed. But now, they were here and against a massive force that he could afford to go at it as hard as he liked.

He noticed Pearl fuse with a few others; creating a Pearl nearly as tall as White herself with the accumulation of Thirteen different Pearls; though Steven was on the odd belief that it wouldn't match up to a inch of Whites real power. She oozed a red like energy, wearing tight black leather like clothing, with three belt tightened straps on both her upper arms, choker with a smaller silver chain hang off the front and a three red clouds that swirled around her head; with red hair with a crowned plait across her scalp. The many Gems besides Pearls on her forehead; two on each shoulder, a trio on her chest, one on her stomach, one on each of her palms, one on the back of her neck and one on her back. Smiling, her teeth were now razor sharp, more akin to snarl as vapours escaped the fusions mouth, her eyes a deep red colour, glaring at the ramping Demonic Diamond before the fusion ran up and jumped up high, to launch her strike.

The chain on her choker could be used, pulling it out as the Red Pearl Fusion used it to swipe at White as she pulled it on just as much, only for Pearl to let go and summon a giant spear from her forehead Gem to strike White; only it had no real affect on her. The fight itself toppling over multiple towers, explosions rocking every where, causing the ground to rumble as two great forces collided before them. The fury of a God like entity fighting an accumulation of disciplined, disturbed soldiers in its terrifying form like light verses dark.

Steven had to stop gawking at this ferocious display, forcing him to look at the book. He kept getting distracted by subtle whispers calling from all over the place, sweat dropping from his forehead, eyes fluttering as he had issues with concentration. A hand went towards the book unconsciously and started writing something too fast to comprehend. Once he was done, his eyes stopped fluttering; flickering between blue, green, yellow, orange, pink and purple constantly as the Gem Glyph lit up in those same colours, dropping the book as he began to walk past a series of Pearls who were busy running past to help the Giant Red Pearl fight off White, throwing themselves into the thrill of battle as a series of Quartz Guardians poured into the plaza. A calm place of zen as Steven strode towards the edges of the rune circle. He took off a vambrace off his left arm where he showed the scars of words from when White cursed him previously; her magic still etched into his light skin. He noticed a piece of glass on the ground, picked it up and made a slit on his palm, not bothered by the blood it oozed out of his hand; black blood. With it, he started to make a line across the entirety of the plaza, not minding the chaos of battle in the background as White punched Red Pearl into the ground, their screams deep and shrilling. Any time anyone dared to interrupt Steven as he wrote Gem Glyph into his ground with his blood, was a Guardian attempt to swat him, but a Pearl would be there to defend him, his unknown task, unabated.

They knew what he was trying to do, all the while the Steven that existed wasn't there anymore...but something else entirely. It wasn't hate that filled him, but the voices that told him what to do and how to do it. Whispers that he'd never heard, but secretly, had been. It was never called to attention, like any time he was able to find a Micro-Temple; instinct and a sight of an Unsaved in the area. He was half way there now.

Snow fell from the sky in large scores, but would melt underneath the towers of flames, white flames at that. Red Pearl summoned several spears, creating them out of the snow flakes she whipped up and had them strike down towards White, who merely shot a beam of pure light from her eyes; destroying all the spears as they exploded in range. All the while, the voices inside Steven grew louder and he was able to understand them more as he continued drawing out his special runes.

_We know the truth_...said a series of intersecting voices.

_What she did to you_...said a voice, light and young, like a small childs, a mixture of a boys and girls; his mind flashing pink.

_She enacted the Curse.._. said another, older, adult and strong, masculine and feminine in sync; his mind flashing yellow.

Visions of the Speckled Realm then finding himself looking in the mirror with the glass shard in his hand and practically bleeding to death.

_It was her..._said a third, soft and more calm, sweet and gentle; his mind flashing blue.

_The marking in your arm...._said the Pink Voice.

_A Spell done by the Grand Maiden._ said the Yellow Voice.

That was...Pearl? No...it couldn't have been.

_She took your hair, your saliva, your skin flakes while you slept._ said the Pink Voice.

The night in the Fourth Compound, visions of Pearl cutting his hair, collecting a saliva and peeling a skin flake off his face came to his head.

_We don't need her anymore Steven._..said the Yellow Voice.

_The Pearl has done what we asked for._...said the Blue Voice.

_We don't need Psyche._..for that will only have Pearl wanting to control. said the Pink Voice.

No, that wasn't true. Pearl only seeks the worlds restoration, nothing more.

_She was going to sacrifice your child to keep you alive._ Said the Yellow Voice.

WHAT?

No, that couldn't be true either. Surely...that wasn't...no, he refused to believe it. Why would Pearl.....

_You were going to find out_...said the Blue Voice.

_She wanted you to live_....said the Yellow Voice.

_You want to kill her_....said the Pink Voice.

No...no no no no.

Steven shook his head, getting control of himself again. He looked at his shaky left hand, as blood continued to drip. He gasped, kissing his palm to heal the wound before putting his vambrace back on. Looking around, he only realised that he had just created a huge blood rune. But he was still in shock, whacking his forehead with his hands as the madness continued to claw into his mind, hissing at how idiotic he had been. But he had to believe what Pearl was trying to do, even if she was going the wrong away about it.

He held his stomach as his gut began to churn, his Gem flaring hot. Going to his knees, he could see Red Pearl dragging White in his direction. 

_The only way to solve this on your terms...is by killing yourself_. Said the Pink Voice.

_The Rage of Gaia...it sits in the circle Steven. Take it._

He noticed the blade still in its position, ignored by all the Pearls. Before Red Pearl had brought White over, Steven got up, pushing through the immense agony he was in right now with little effort, not being aware of the blood dripping from his eyes, ears, nose and mouth, he took the blade and sprinted away to safety. The Pearls had fled back into the plaza, while Red Pearl, looking worn, burnt and exhausted from the combat, pushed White into the Blood Rune Steven had created. Steven himself was just on the edge, wondering how and why he acted on such...wordless commands. He slammed the base of the rune as it lit up in glows of pink, summoning a huge barrier that kept White from escaping, locking her inside with Red Pearl. Furious, White got up and tried to bash and beam herself, but the barrier itself was too strong, She could see Steven standing there, panting as he bled. White snarled as she slammed hands on the barrier, practically shrieking in rage.

"You will_ regret_ this Starlight!" She warned, her voice hoarse.

With that, Red Pearl summoned out her last spear, a gigantic one with its tip seared in white hot fire and stabbed Queen White in the back with such force and hatred. She screamed, her form dissipating in millions of sparkling specks as her Gem dropped, falling into Red Pearls hand. The Fusion soon unfused, as the Pearls as part of the fusion ended up exhausting themselves, as did the Grand Maiden Pearl. Steven knew this was far from over, his anger now directed at Pearl more than it was at White now. On her knees, Steven strode up to her with the Rage of Gaia in his hand. He should have poofed her a long time ago, but he would demand Pearl explain herself. She got up on her own accord, looking at Steven and trying to smile while she panted, before she noticed the blood on Steven's face and grew concerned, attempting to touch his face before he whacked her hand aside, surprising her.

"Oh no Steven...it's already started..." Pearl said, worried.

Steven held as much as his fury back as he could, gripping onto the sword as tight as he could. He ignored the taste of iron in his mouth and the fact that his vision was beginning to blur.

"I knew it would be a matter of time until the power would begin to tear at you. I-"

"_ENOUGH!_" He shouted with enough force to create a shockwave. Steven, with small movements, aimed his blade at her, to which Pearl was stunned, raising her hands, shaking as she begun to laugh nervously.

"Oo-oh Steven I have told you I am on your side I."

He lifted his chin, his eyes piercing with pink rage.

"Your loyalty isn't being questioned." He said, echoes inflected on his tone.

"You were going to sacrifice Connie's child, _my_ child....you were fine with me saving Connie but you don't give a shit about the baby."

Pearl looked left and right, as her fellow Pearls could only watch on in horror as their beloved God-to-be was threatening their Grand Maiden, slowly trembling as she walked back a few paces.

"_I._.."

He pushed her to the side as he stood in the middle of the original rune, as Pearl was left stammering, but then she realised what Steven was doing as Pearl ran after him.

"Wait, don't forget the..."

"We don't need it..."

Pearl stood there, frozen, furrowing her brows in confusion.

"Don't need...I don't understand."

He sighed. Her act was beginning to grind him.

"Psyche only seeks to_ control_ me." He said, his state deteriorating further.

"They don't need them."

Pearl's eyes widened.

"No-no Steven, you do...you do need Psyche! Come on, let's...let's talk about this!"

He raised his hand, creating a barrier to prevent Pearl from getting closer. He needed her away, as his patience with her was greatly wearing thin. What will power he had was provided with as much as restraint as he could muster, internalising his anger as it was played with by the voices. Which, really, only made Steven feel a lot worse. He was fuming, boiling away at this which was somewhat burning him from the inside. It hurt so bad he could explode.

_Maidens are the true Scribes of Psyche_; Said the Pink Voice.

_They write their will; adhering not the Compass...the opposite of Gaia's will_. Said the Yellow Voice.

"No." Steven commanded a tone so low and threatening. He took a look at the sword, raising it up and examining it. 

"I've had _enough_ of being manipulated. What has been said by everyone...it's all been a big lie. I want White to despair at the fact that she will never get her hands on the other Gods and that she will remain truly powerless. Bubble her, destroy her...let her spirit be damned. I want _you_ to know how it feels to be tormented every damn day with questioning everything that's been thrown at you. If there's anything I have been damn sure of, it's something I can't back out on. I take the three Gods with me...and maybe if White redeems herself, maybe I'll become a God, come back from the Beach and tear her soul away...it's what Code is for....right?"

Pearl fell to her knees, tearing up. This wasn't Steven talking anymore. It _wasn't_. She could see the veins on his skin fading in...they had to do this quickly or else...

"Steven, please...if there's anything I'm not lying about it's this..." She pleaded, putting her hand on her chest, begging him to see reason.

"Yes, I wanted to use the baby as a way to save your life from being pulled away because it was the only thing that could have been used to keep you here...I did _not_ want you to die.....and-and you and Connie could have another baby....that's what humans can do; what we Gems cannot. "

Gems couldn't reproduce where humans still had the advantage of numbers...their numbers could dwindle but double within due time. Gems didn't have that luxury.

"I've loved and I've lost...and I'm loving and about to lose again. Your mother created you for me....because we had been discussing...how would have brought back the Temple of Creation; the original Kindergarten Temple; so we could have our own kids. She...she was desperate to bring it all back, so she had you...and lost herself for it...and now you're going to throw it all away because..."

More lies, surely. He tolerated her enough. And he'd wasted enough time as it was. So he lifted the sword and pointed it towards his gut; hoping Bismuth would give him the strength, going by how the visions of how he found the sword, the very thing was telling him to do this from the beginning and he was sorry that an innocent Gem like herself was sacrificed for this meaningless curse. But now she was able to do her duty one last time...with the last person within his head was Connie's smiling face. His one wish was that he had hoped Connie would listen to the tape and hear the words he could never say to her face to face and that his regret was not being able to do so in the end. It wasn't what he wanted but he had little choice. If he had more time, he wanted to see his child being born...he felt awful for abandoning them and that dwelling on such laurels would serve to hinder him. So he had to make the decision to act now, so their futures would be brighter than ever.

"Goodbye. Pearl..."

He took a deep breath and with a moment of hesitation, plunged the sword into his gut by his gem, deeply. A smooth shift as it pierced skin and through his organs as he spat out blood from his mouth. If this was the natural way to end things...it would be so simple...so human...Gems can't die conventionally but humans were so fragile, they could perish so easily and in so many different ways. And Gems would never know the feeling....

A heartbeat thumped in his head, thumping so hard, his eyes half lidded, his mouth gaping a tiny amount as the barrier that surrounded Pearl vanished, hearing her screams through his muffled ears. He could see her running towards him hand reaching to him and catching him as he fell backwards. She didn't care about the blood on her hands, shaking with despair as she bawled her eyes out. He smirked weakly.

"It didn't...even _hurt._.." He said, struggling to talk.

"Fancy that."

Pearl swallowed as she struggle to compose herself. No, why, why, why?

"Steven you...shouldn't have done this...oh Gods, what do I do?" Pearl asked, freaking out.

He lost his sense of self for a brief moment, time pausing as he focused on Pearls frozen face as he fell into himself as she was about to apologise to him. The sweet embrace of death, was anything but.

_Good job Seven One Nine_....said the Pink Voice, although that sounded like Queen Pink.

_You've done well, Seven One Nine._..said the Blue Voice...though that sounded like Queen Blue.

_Extraordinary....now you die well_...Said the Yellow Voice...though that sounded like Queen Yellow.

Thank goodness for that.

_I will take the reigns now Seven One Nine._...said a new voice. That sounded...like himself. But Steven didn't say that. His feelings churned for the worst.

"Who are you?" Steven asked.

Laughter echoed as the voice deepened. This wasn't good as Steven felt the dark vibes flow through. Definitely _**not**_ good.

"I am the the** Incomplete One**, free of Psyches Tyranny." It continued.

"This world is** ours**. You will die. And we will be_ free._"

No. What? This wasn't the plan, this wasn't the plan at all...shit, _shit_, **shit**, _**shit.**_..

He shook his head, forcing himself to surface in a panic, seeing Pearls face. But it was too late...Steven felt himself draining away quicker than he anticipated. She instantly pulled out the sword near his gut and tried to get his armour off...as he looked a bit uncomfortable as it looked like it was now too tight on him, but the task was nearly impossible, so she activated the emergency unsummon button on the back, forgetting that it was even there as she was in the race to save him and leaving him in his original salmon pink star shirt and jeans...but it wasn't enough...

<strike> _They would fight for that. Fight for the light that was lost. For now, the battle against all urges was no longer in existence, accepting defeat in the face of total collapse and cessation of self. _ </strike>

"_Pearl..._" He cried.

"Yes Steven?" She croaked, holding his body which had become heavier, increasing its density with the influx and imbalance of power running through him, with his temperature near scolding that Pearl would have burned normal hands.

"...I'm sorry..." He said, before coughing up more blood to his side.

She looked at him, frightful as his skin suddenly turned red as veins grew all over and thicker. The Gem on his stomach was like a miniature sun; radiated an ungodly amount of heat and even began to shake under its power. She feared the worst but didn't really want to believe it was happening and refused to, but otherwise was unable to move as everything just went from bad to worse...to catastrophic in an instant.

There was little they could do.

"....I _fucked_ up."

_crack._

Another crack...and another; the horrifying revelation of the impossible; Steven's Gem had shattered itself with a thundering crash akin to sounds of breaking crystal glass caused by the intense power within him and from it, arose an out-pour of darkened energy, as his body burst in the most visceral fashion and eviscerated itself into a mess of flesh, bones, blood and organs, spreading it everywhere and splashing it all over Pearl. The Grand Maiden; who was stuck in place with the widest set of eyes, unable to respond properly to the horror unfolding before her. Mouth left agape with a quivering bottom lip and left a total loss for words; her sanity having disappeared entirely that she barely paid attention to the ear sliding off of her cheek and onto her lap, not seeing the mess around her...shreds of fabric that slowly rained down on top of her head. She quivered and tried to speaks but only blubbers and murmurs could be squeezed out. Her palms were still raised upwards, fingers splayed out like she felt like she was still holding him...shaking as they only held bits of his spine that she dropped unwillingly.

The mass of black energy from his gem spiralled upwards in such a furore and loud booming noises, ascending into the clouded sky...disappearing into it all for the moment...

To where the sky slowed distorted itself into a mix of pink, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red and black squares that glitched in the instability, not in any particular order, meshed and mixed, blended and messy and swirled and dotted with black sludge like marks, flat on the sky itself like it had just descended from the clouds, like it was done by some unruly being wanting to place some alternate dimensional version of chess. The world lukewarm, confusing and warped, changing and spiritual adherence forgotten to darkened essences of a brand new world nobody asked for. Destruction imminent, and madness unbending to the spirits begging for mercy.

Pearl, eyes still open as wide as they could be, cautiously looked around her, violently shaking as each of the Pearls that were looking into the sky disappeared, one by one. Each left screaming as their gems burned into multicoloured pixels, their existence vaporised before Pearls eyes. She tried to reach out to them, but could do nothing, the toll of it all keeping her weighted down as they could do nothing themselves but just...vanish into thin air...

The atmosphere grew heated as all Pearl could hear was distortions of warped laughter and screams for help from her sister Maidens but she was useless...useless...useless..._useless_....begging for them to shut up as they were loud and deafening, until the screams disappeared.

Pearl must have sat there for a good ten minutes after the deed was done...only hearing the winds gust on by in this desolate destroyed city of light and darkness and multi-coloured flames with what was left of her willpower was dredged from the power of her own insane logics, barely able to stand on her own too feet, wobbling as she saw the Rage of Gaia behind her which had found itself digging into the ground behind her after the explosion, alongside the Light of Psyche and White's Gem. She dragged herself over and, not caring she was still covered from head to toe in Steven's blood and picked up what pieces she could. Her actions were aimless and robotic, the bags under her eyes stuck there as she bubbled White's Gem, the ball and put them into her Gem, but for some reason, found herself holding the weapon that was the only thing left of him...not, only thing left of Bismuth really...Bismuth was still in there, since the ritual wasn't done properly, the Spirit was still in there...that's okay...it would give Pearl someone to talk to, to help her see reason. What was left of it, anyway.

"It's...it's not your fault Bismuth." Pearl choked, looking at the distorted and coloured skies above. She was too far gone that she could only justify it as something that had been intended all along...so she would worship this newfound God and pray that they could help her moving forward. It's all she could do, struggling in this place forged of unseen horrors.

"It's all part of Rose's plan....I told you...and you would obey..."

She held the sword in front of her as she made the sluggish walk to White's Tower, for what ever improbable reason possessed her to do so and dragged it across the ground, sparks flying in its trails.

"He...he _isn't_ dead...haha...he's just...we can make another Steven...we can...we can use White for the ritual...y-yeah. What do you think Bismuth?"

She did not reply. Because she was a sword.

"I know it won't be him...but we can use...the unborn? No...can't...can't use that...what about that Witch Doctor? No? The Exile? No? Oh...but Steven's father? Gerard was it? It was some silly human name...but...yeah I know his genes were necessary...don't remind me that Bismuth....I used to hate the guy...."

And the distortions increased behind her, with a tower collapsed behind Pearl, missing by mere inches as she continued to make leisurely way onward to a new solution, lost in her discussion with a mute blade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I call the giant red Pearl fusion Gigantamax Pearl...i know its a blatant Pokemon reference lmao.


	59. The First Compound Part 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The True Hell has arrived.

The skies had yet to change for them...but it wouldn't be long until they did.

The group, consisting of Garnet, Amethyst, Priyanka, Doug, Greg and Jasper arrived at the White Compound, with the High Priestess leading the way. A intense wave of Garnets own power struck her instantly the further she peered on; a horrible vision and directed the group to where they had to be. Her visions lead her to finding the Warp Pad directly to the White Compound by the use of Coven Magic; a unique variant of Miserian Magic where Garnet would look deep into herself and meditate, allowing her to channel her Sapphire side to visualise where she had to do. She only used this Future Vision to a point from emergency purposes. It wasn't flawless and there was room for error. She had pointed this out to Rose, aka Queen Pink before hand and she had made the Garden suggestion which, in all honesty, didn't work out as much either.

But Rose being Queen Pink; after a lot inner arguments, it would make sense, pieces never seen before that fit in so perfectly, you never knew they existed in the first place. That power of a God within her would have messed it up. Gods direct fate as they see fit and Garnet would have no power of the Gods in that way. Splinters were shown to her in small portions and it had always helped even if it wasn't much to go on.

Once they arrived at the Compound, they could see it in tall, white flames...signs of a battle. She turned to Jasper, needing her assistance. Garnet could see this getting very messy, directing the Quartz Warrior to head back to the Pink Compound and gather reinforcements. Jasper hesitated, but understood Garnet's point over a few minutes of general verbal contrite. Using her future vision once more, it directed her to the tallest Tower. On their way, they could see a boy looking upwards at the sky and the general compound, quivering as he stood there, unsure of what to do. Garnet recognised his pink skin, as did Greg, who told Garnet that might have been the boy that Steven had accidentally killed a long time ago and was said to use his power to bring him back to life. The fusion would find use for him as she ran up to him, as the ground shook with the group trying to find balance in the chaos.

"Excuse me." She said.

"Pink Boy. You are Two Nine Five."

He turned around and jumped, surprised to see a huge face come out of nowhere.

"Don't...wait, you're not part of White's entourage?"

He must have been stuck here for a while, disengaged and disorientated with the ongoing destruction blistering and bursting around him.

"What's going on here?" Priyanka asked him, the Witch Doctors curiosity for his state growing.

295 ran his hand over his head.

"Oh boy...I- don't know. I was doing my duty and suddenly there's a big fight between Queen White and...some giant Maiden Pearl?"

As Garnet suspected. Though she didn't foresee Pearl fighting White, but that wasn't the only thing she saw.

"It's a Pearl Fusion." Garnet explained to him.

The boy groaned.

"I don't care what it is, but...I need to get out of here, and so should you! I keep hearing stuff from the other Gems that something big is coming...ugh...should have known something was gonna happen when I saw _him_ come here."

Garnet and Amethyst exchanged looks.

"He's talking about Steven." Amethyst said, standing by the High Priestess, listening in.

No doubt in Garnets mind as she nodded total agreement. One of those times you didn't need Future Vision to see when Steven was around, based on the events on the other three Compounds, that there would be trouble to found when he was about.

"Do you know where he went?" 

295 growled as he dug his fingers into his scalp.

"I-I don't know..." He said.

"I only had orders to take him to the Processing Centre and that was it."

The usual place for imports, but the Processing....White was playing a dangerous game here. But she was fighting the Pearl fusion so...something had gone wrong as part of the process. She tried to look in her vision again, adjusting her visor and seeing a tall white tower and a path to a huge set of doors...doors that wouldn't open...but she did see some use in the boy, for what logic imposed on Garnet was only the advice of her visions.

"Come with us, we'll protect you." Garnet said to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and making him very uncomfortable that forced him to jerk back.

"No_ no_ way I'm not getting involved in this!" He called out. making huge gestures with his arms to get them to keep their distance from him.

"I already died once. I'm not dying again!"

So it was true. Steven _did_ kill him. Garnet only observed snippets about it but to hear it confirmed had Garnet feel off about how Steven never went into the greatest details...given how withdrawn Steven normally was with his feelings, he barely talked about the traumatic aspects of his life; his only irritation that she could outright discern was his overall dislike of the ambiguous path he was put on by Rose. Garnet grew resentment towards Rose after his spiel but had no real place for her own judgement, even if Steven wanted her opinion. Rose was just as ambiguous as her son and his life was his own, just like anyone else's. But it didn't make her feel any more awful about it. She had to maintain stability and balance for the Priestesses, lest the group fall apart entirely and they were left with so many wasted years behind them, with no end to their goal in sight.

"Dude you _owe_ Steven." Amethyst stated.

"Just come with us and maybe we'll let you live. Or did you want to spend your time wandering the wasteland with no protection?"

* * *

It wasn't hard convincing him otherwise. He eventually revealed that his name was actually Lars; a name gifted by the Patriarch. After the original riots, the Patriarch intervened and protected Lars in his home and made sure he was looked after before being shipped back off to the Blue Compound where he was originally from, then there was a request for him to go to the White Compound after Blue was slain, stating Queen White had a position for him in hers. But its now that he was still being thrown about, with no reasons why as to what the hell people wanted from him specifically. His links to Steven may have some use in the hours to come.

Once they arrived at the Tower, they were met with Pearls, angry Pearls who didn't look too pleased that they had intruders. These Maidens were quick and nimble, striking hard and fast with their swords and their agility, their ability to weave and dodge with such grace and beauty in the art of war never seen until now. No one would believe how ferocious a Pearl could be; their design wasn't like a Warriors. No one would expect those considered thin and feeble in design to be skilled in battle. Maybe that was the point; for others to underestimate them.

Still, Garnet, Amethyst and even Doug with his duel axes put up a fight, combating the numbers as they parried their way around the labyrinth interior of the Tower. The Pearls were very tenacious and even combating some of the skilled Quartz Guardians within it. It puzzled Garnet but she left it at that, focusing on what was going on around them. Priyanka fought off with her giant sword and defended Greg and the Pink Boy, climbing stairs as Garnet yelled out directions in accordance to what she was seeing in her sight.

With enough patience and skill, they made it to a balcony...just in time as beam of darkness had shot up into the air as a weird pulse, booming and bassy, reverberated and nearly toppled them over. Garnet tried to look as she helped the others maintain their stances, but all she saw was pure evil obscuring it. The evil that would make the world tremble as it awakened, spreading its power across in its bid to spread itself far and wide.

"_We're too late..."_ She muttered.

A world was now in a weird, distorted place. The sky in glitched tiles of black, green, blue, yellow, orange, pink and purple and a blackened, fluid mass of a monster on their horizon. The winds had changed and there was a sudden heat and humidity with the Caucasian human in the pack wiping the sweat off of his forehead. It had no immediate form, a pulsating blob that made noises that would definitely inhuman as one would gaze upon it and immediately feel the dread weigh heavily on ones shoulders. Garnet felt more of a heaviness in her chest, looking down and believing in the worst case scenario.

Garnet had known she would arrive here far too late, merely pushing the limits to see they could see this horrifying creature and feel its despair radiating across the Compound. But fate would win in the end...the unseen notion of loss felt across the board for unknown reasons.

"What the heck is that thing?" Amethyst commented.

"It's huge!"

Garnet adjusted her visor. Her studies of past Sapphires predicting the future of monsters and monsters so terrifying weren't taken that seriously. Right now they just witness the birth of something new and terrifying that all life would succumb to it...both Gems and Humans its food.

"A twisted mess of power. The **Incomplete One**; Resonance of Despair, the Colours They fear the most." Garnet said.

Amethyst growled, the energies darkening her mood as well as everyone elses. Garnet held on as much as she could.

Garnet's original studies came from some of the books in Amethyst's Library. The tale of the manic filled Sapphire. No one believed her, the one Sapphire that was said to have ruined the future for everyone with her original predictions; a very infamous Gem in the long strand of bad events that lead them here. As Garnet had described, the Sapphire had mentioned something about something that was neither God, Gem or Man but something terrifying to the core that would render anyone who would gaze upon commit suicide upon such a glance. This could have been it...and what she had been telling everyone all this time held a measure of truth.

They could hear screams coming from a distance as well, as Garnet looked down into one of the streets filled with Maiden Pearls who were running around like mad, and disappearing before their very eyes. From the clouds oozed more black ooze, taking form of something bipedal, a shape of a humanoid with a puffy black head and a spiky back, with the colours that shaped their mouth and eyes; giggling and laughing like immature children that crawled around the Compound, chasing down Gems whom had emerged from their towers, absolutely terrified and confused as to what the hell was going on as monsters swarmed the pathways, trying to consume Gems in their wake.

This...ungodly abomination was trying to destroy everything.

"How do we stop it?" Priyanka asked.

Garnet tried to perceive something and kept getting dead ends...but a voice called out to her, something she could see they would need. Visions of a pink sword, a green plush...a tape...and a familiar pregnant woman.

"Our answer is still within the Tower...let's move."

* * *

Going back into the Tower, they would come across shrieking Pearls and Quartz Guardians, trying to run away from the Crawling Monsters. Using this to their advantage, Garnet directed the group cautiously to a long hallway, to where a secondary door was able to shut with efforts from Amethyst, Greg, the Pink Boy and Doug. Priyanka stood next to Garnet, looking at the pillars that lead to a locked doors.

"You think Connie is in there?" Priyanka asked her.

Garnet adjusted her visor, but three figures appeared from the pillars. A purple, a yellow and a blue Pearl, looking absolutely pissed as all of them summoned their spears, with the purple one leading the group. Something felt more off than it did before. Garnet kept her cool enough to try and pry information out of these three; their direction different to their numerous sisters.

"Pearls, we do not wish to fight." Said Garnet.

The purple one put her hand on her chest.

"I am Aubergine, I was ordered by the Grand Maiden to retrieve the one known as Connie from this room. You will leave!"

No, they weren't.

"That's my daughter you're talking about." Priyanka said, pulling out her claymore in case of any sudden movement, a mothers instinct to guard her offspring a known one.

Though Garnet wondered if they had any clue of what was going on outside. Previous discussions and ideas floated in her head, placing an answer before her lips.

"You were hoping to use her in a ritual." She said.

"You're not aware of what's going on."

Aubergine looked at both Yellow and Blue and sighed.

"The Grand Maiden has given us directions...but we heard the screaming. Something has gone wrong...but if the Grand Maiden says we need Connie, then we will retrieve her."

Garnet never suspected as much with Pearls and their regard for the rules, the powers that guided through their lives but never amounted for their Pearl to be as she was. She was a bit off-kilter, especially after Rose left, but with everything brought to light, there were some parts that just fitted in so well that she wasn't able to identify at first but did with the first premise; Pearls obsessions for one.

"But your kind are like, dying..." Amethyst pointed out.

"Either help us fix this, or we can actually give you a merciful death."

Tension riddled the air, as Aubergine looked irritated, before turning to the others and gesturing them to be at ease.

"Hm...you have a point." She said, but in a very prissy way.

"I'm not sure whats going on out there...but the ritual hadn't been completed correctly from the sounds of it."

The ritual...something... more...

"What do you mean, not done correctly?" Priyanka questioned.

Aubergine looked down, fist against her chest.

"The Grand Maiden had us map out the final ritual with a few elements. The Light of Psyche, the Rage of Gaia, White's Gem."

Standard for the rituals with all the Queens.

"And Connie's...creation."

No wonder Pearl took Connie with her. Garnet should have known. Priyanka was the first to grab Aubergine by her collar and hold her up, yelling into her face.

"You will not lay a damn finger on her!" She cried.

Garnet put her hand on the Witch Doctors shoulder, silently telling her to calm down. Priyanka growled, dropping the Pearl as she stepped back, holding onto her claymore tightly with her anger barely held back.

"We can't even get inside." Said Yellow Pearl.

"The door is locked from the other end." Said Blue Pearl.

Garnet looked at Amethyst, nudging her towards the giant doors as the two brought out their gauntlets and whip respectively; whacking on the door itself for a good minute, but their attacks barely scratched it. They were above to give up when they heard loud banging noises on the other door. The winds subtle shift in her mind, as Garnet looked into her future vision, directing it towards if they were to open it. A sword...covered in blood, being carried by a thin familiar individual they would need to have a few select words with.

"Greg, Doug it's Pearl. Amethyst, keep the monsters at bay while they open the door. Hurry!"

Amethyst sprinted over as commanded, As both Greg and Doug opened the doors up a little bit, only for Pearl to barge on through in that space, falling face first on the ground as Amethyst kept the monsters at a distance with a show of force as the made a few cracks as Greg and Doug pushed the doors closed. With a thump, all of them just looked on at Pearl who hadn't gotten up, dropping the Sword as well. The Pearls ran over to help their Grand Maiden onto her feet, but by this point, she was a complete mess, covered in black blood, dark circles under her widened eyes with a disturbing grin. Amethyst instantly wrapped her body up with her whip and dragged her over, so pissed off that she was ready to punch Pearl in the face before realising something was incredibly wrong.

"Uh...." Amethyst said, unsure of what to think.

Garnet came around to find out more and could already see from this sight alone that Pearl was gone completely. But that didn't mean that they couldn't draw out answers.

"Pearl, you know where Steven is..." Garnet said, crossing her arms. She had to keep her cool; feeling the same way Amethyst was but dedicated herself to maintain stability for the sake of the group.

Pearl just giggled, freaking Amethyst out. The latter tried to shake some sense into her with some literal shaking, but to no avail.

"Tell us or I swear to..."

"He's not _gone_..."

Amethyst looked at Garnet for any kind of direction. Pearl was lost, but the madness encompassing put forth the terrifying truth in the lies spread in confidence and insanity.

"He....he _didn't_ explode right in front of me...no...he was just...that wasn't real...haha...he's just ascended for a bit..."

A pause. This...was..._nothing_ what Garnet was foreseeing at all.

"Steven? Explode? Ascend? What does that mean?" Amethyst queried.

Garnet looked at the blood on her body again. Gems obviously didn't bleed but...

"He'll be back." Pearl said, so utterly calm and soft in tone with obvious undertones of her madness pending.

"It's only a _little_ set back...I just need to get a new ritual...my Maidens....have you gotten Connie yet?"

The three Pearls were dumbfounded, unsure of what was really going on. Though Garnet was beginning to suspect something else...something far more troubling the more she examined Pearls state.

"Who's blood is that?" Priyanka asked, wandering over.

"Doug, bring that Decoder...we need to find ou-"

Garnet looked down. It was too obvious. Pearl was no longer there to make proper sense but she made the points clear in words not said. Where the visions Garnet had of falling snow weren't snow...but of ashes of the past and the darkness that followed, was a world without the light that was supposed to be destined, to be shared by the only radiant being with the kindness and determination to do so. The light had been doused...broken, shattered underneath something so powerful and dangerous. To where the world would suffer even further, for its loss. Each drip from Pearls body to the floor created a small pool that surrounded her. A contrast to her light skin, now stained with the corrupted nature of the beast that laid hidden in dormancy until the time was right, clawing its way out at the best moment and ready for the consumption, hungry for destruction of everything else that remained in the world. And they had no idea. Garnet blamed herself for not seeing it sooner...and so she took it upon herself to be the barer of bad news to the confused group.

"It's _Stevens._" She said, voice low. The pain in her chest grew at the startling revelation that was beginning to unfold the more she thought about it, a box opening as it all the heat escaped. Pearl had literally just mentioned it. Eyes were on her for a better explanation, but Garnet knew what Pearl really meant. No...it was impossible, it couldn't be.

"Steven's...._dead_."

The mood in the room changed instantly, with Amethyst dropping her whip, unsure of what to think but feel all sorts of darkened emotions.

"No...he's not..." She stammered.

Greg walked forward as well, not believing what was being said, his form quivering.

"Wh...no, he can't be....Steven..." Greg croaked, grasping his shirt by his chest.

"Pearl, please tell us you're joking."

The Grand Maiden was in no state to answer any further, with Amethyst abandoned it as she went to a nearby pillar and punched the base, cracking and summoning another whip to break in half, out of her empowered grief. She was ready to kill Pearl, panting and grunting as she prepared to absolute destroy the traitorous Gem.

"**YOU KILLED HIM YOU FUCKING BITCH!**" She screeched.

Garnet knew better, stopping Amethyst's rampage from killing them all by collapsing debris as she grabbed the gems whip and pulled her close and pulling her into an embrace, allowing the Gem to weep into her shoulder.

"She didn't." Garnet told her.

Pearl had fallen to her knees, legs splayed out as she sat there, hands together in front of her and her sight lost, grin still bearing as she no longer had herself held together. Greg didn't know what to do, as Doug stood next to his wife, holding her hands as the group tried to process this. Even the Pink Boy didn't know what to do. The other Pearls were left unsure of their next move; their Grand Maiden barely able to function at all left them with no real direction to take. Garnet struggled to understand how and why this was allowed to happen, but overall, with the light she had to spare on her own, refused to give up.

Garnet looked into her visions again, for anything that could help them get through this. It seemed hopeless to go on when the whole reason they were here had just...disappeared. Right now, what they could do, is save Connie and get themselves out of this mess and find somewhere safer. Though she didn't want to know how Connie would react to this news, and she didn't to foresee the outcome of that discussion. Hope lingered with them now and to pick up the pieces anyway they could. The Incomplete One was their enemy and they would not let a monster like that win without a fight. It would feel like a drag, the heaviness of this loss weighing upon them like nothing else compared. Disbelief the only barrier to world of chaotic anguish.

However, like Rose (now Pink) before him, she had said to continue on with the work she had set out. For maybe she knew this would happen or maybe she didn't. The pressure was always there, directing them in different ways. The path taken, the fork in the road. There was always a chance to correct mistakes. Retreating for the moment was wise but they had to figure it all out, for the sake of a power no one could ever hope to fully understand. Folly as it was, they had to press on. Garnet wouldn't deny how much agony it brought her that it threatened the chance for Ruby and Sapphire to unfuse, but ultimately, her power to push forward and make destiny for herself, kept her together. With the aforementioned light she could share had to be given to those around her now.

"Witch Doctor." Said Garnet, still holding Amethyst close like a child as she continued to weep.

"Let us try and save Connie at least."

Priyanka nodded in agreement.

"Yes...yes thank you." She said, wiping a tear away.

"Pearls, do you know of anyway to get through these doors?"

The three looked at each other, as Yellow and Blue tended to the Grand Maiden, while Aubergine took charge, standing in front of them and would be the only ones among them who knew more about this Tower and this Compound than any of them.

"We used to be able to command the plates but that room in particular has only one entrance." She said.

"White was the only one able to get in. Unless we had some warp ability, or an ability to communicate with the human on the other side to tell her to undo the lock, there's little to no chance of us getting through."

Darn. Garnet couldn't see any way of doing so, the doors themselves thick enough to block out all sound. There had to be a way, there HAD to be a way. Priyanka's grief was projected as anger, threatening the Pearls with her claymore if they didn't think of something quick.

"We just lost Steven and I swear to Gaia if I lose my daughter...."

"Wait..."

The Pink Boy walked forward, interrupting the discussion. He had mentioned little in regards to his own opinion on all of this, barely understanding anything.

"We don't have time for you boy." Said Doug.

He shook his head.

"Steven brought me back...and I was...so angry and confused and not getting anything until...well...maybe that part is irrelevant but overall, cutting to the chase...I might be able to help."

Garnet became curious, letting Lars speak up about his idea. He walked over to the door and ran his hands over it, resting his ear against it as he continued.

"I was from the Blue Compound originally and eventually I was dragged hear to the White Compound where....White conducted her experiments...she knew I had some sort of power, gifted to me. I can't explain it, but...I've never seen myself using it because...I was worried it was gonna cause more harm than good. Maybe I should have used it sooner? I dunno...it might not even work..."

Amethyst had jumped out of Garnet's arms as she began to vent herself towards him.

"Then what's the fucking point of mentioning it?" She cried.

He stood back, looking up and around the door itself and took a deep breath.

"White saw use in me and all this talk about Gods and Gaia and all the rest...I felt most connected to them. Over time I had heard...voices...dreamed of them. About someone calling out to me...saying I was brought back for a purpose. That I was being guided towards something. I didn't believe it at first, thinking I was just...cursed. Cursed by this...entity. I didn't know what to think but...with what White revealed I really had made the most sense to me. So...here goes." 

The boy spread his legs and leaned over, psyching himself up as he exhaled and inhaled twice more...before inhaling one more time, bringing himself back and screaming, his eyes turning white as a ring of pink energy poured out of his throat, revealing a spiralling pink portal, leaving everyone, just about shocked.

"When were you going to tell us_ that_?" Priyanka wondered, a bit irritated.

Lars shrugged as he panted.

"You never asked...and I felt it was appropriate...and well, running around with your throat clogged with fear doesn't exactly make for a situation to use it consistently."

But it was something. Garnet was the first to approach the portal. She was confident in this alone, ushering the others to follow suit.

"Come on, all of you." She ordered.

The Pearls took the Grand Maiden with them, going in first as they hopped inside. Doug and Priyanka looked after the despondent Greg, left unsure of anything as they stood by his side and walked with him as they were the next three to walk through. Amethyst was left sitting there, looking at the ground of rubble beneath her.

She blamed herself for this; not being able to see the circumstances that had dragged Steven here in the first place was something Garnet herself never foresaw. It was hardly the Gems fault for something he had done on his own accord (and other influences besides Amethyst). Garnet gestured Lars to wait, as she walked over the purple quartz, kneeling down before her and resting her hand on her shoulder. Amethyst looked away in shame and regret, crossing her arms, sniffing her nose and stubborn in movement.

"It hurts." She admitted.

"And I....told him that the world was so shit and he was so sure that this was going to work...and now look. I was right....and I can't do anything about it...and all the work we've done to get to this point means fuck all...are we still doing the right thing Garnet?"

A question that had always lingered for Garnet, and one she would never be able to truly answer. Following Rose under the belief of the old world being restored....because Garnet was one of the few who knew what the Old World was like. Neither Garnet or Pearl even bothered to explain the detail in which why Rose favoured it so much...and the revelation that she was Queen Pink...it angered the Fusion at first but now...now she could see that her actions were meant to amend her own guilt and pulling out all the stops to rectify matters only seemed to make it worse in the long run. So many years that Garnet forgot to count how long it had been since the Unforgiving Sin.

"The Old World was...indeed beautiful." Garnet told her, wiping a tear away from Amethyst's face.

"I won't lie and say it was perfect. Of course it wasn't. Perfection was never attainable for the Queens, but they always strove for it in different ways. I want you to see it just as much as I want everyone else to. Steven is gone now...gone to where ever the next challenge leads him. And I am...capable of experiencing the same amount of grief as you. I choose to act on what is possible for us."  
Amethyst grumbled.

"You're saying I can't be angry and punish the world further for what it's done for the people I care about? The people who accept me for what I am and love me for who I am..." She croaked.

Not at all.

"The beauty is that we can feel these things. We want a world without the need to punish our own feelings. The World of Before had things worth protecting and things that needed to be changed just as much. But these..humans...depend on the old world for their short existence. They're not like us. We'll continue to live on for an eternity but really, we do not want this to be the end of everything; a dull existence protecting nothing more than our egos. Life, no matter how temporary it is, has every right to flourish and change through the ages."

Amethyst looked up at Garnet, with a faint sense of awe.

"That's what Rose used to say." She said.

Garnet nodded. Words of wisdom Garnet kept with her, always.

"Indeed she did." She acknowledged.

"We are still here to carry that mission. It is...still valid."

Amethyst's focus was down, before she looked up.

"Even with Steven...gone?" She croaked.

Now more than ever. There was still hope on the horizon. Giving into the despair would mean the monsters would have already won by now. Garnet was determined not to let that happen. She could even see Connie clearer, alive and well and her reaction to her parents. So there was something. With this in mind, Garnet got up and gave Amethyst her hand.

"He's still with us...somewhere....somehow...I can feel it." She said.

Garnet sensed the unease within Amethyst and it was completely justified. Garnet preferred not to dwell in doubt. Magic was a powerful force that shaped the world as much as it had destroyed it. Steven himself wield such power within him that perhaps, it wouldn't have outright destroyed him entirely. It wasn't what she knew that told her, but a perception of everything that has come before, a legacy charged within a young man, constructed for reasons to believe in hope, to believe in love and union, in trust and forgiveness.

"Right now we need to support ourselves. Steven would want that, just like Rose did..."

And not to mention...

"Yeah." Amethyst said, taking Garnets hand as the latter dragged the former to her feet.

"And...fuck...poor Connie...I dunno how she's gonna take it but she needs us too."

* * *

The two went through the portal with Lars jumping in after and rendezvoused with the others on the other side as the boy closed the portal behind him. Upon a widened glance, they were in a giant, bright library of sorts, a personal one for White with several levels and lit up candles. On the ground floor, she could see the two fancy couches surrounding a coffee table. Priyanka and Doug sat on each side of Connie on the right most couch, whom put her book down instantly, embracing their hug and crying with relief that she was safe. Greg on the other hand had himself isolated on the right side of the room, sitting on his own couch in the corner, leaning over and looking at the ground aimlessly. To the left hand side of the room were the Pearls, cleaning up their Grand Maiden of all the blood. Amethyst looked at Greg on his own, sucking in the courage to go to him, almost forgetting that he was Steven's father and that he must have felt even more horrible. She looked at Garnet, whom nodded in approval to go over there to keep the man company. Lars stood against the door, aloof to it all on the surface and agreeing to stay there for the moment, keeping an eye out.

Garnet walked towards the opposite couch as the Maheswarans caught up with one another. Connie was elated to meet up with her parents again, but they hadn't told her the bad news. Priyanka rubbed her daughters stomach and kissed Connie on the side of her head, before hand slipped into Connie's on the right side and Doug held her left hand. Garnet leaned over, elbows on her knees as she stretched her fingers, fingertips touching and voiding as much time as she could give. Connie noticed her posture and body language.

"What's wrong Garnet?" Connie asked.

Presumably she was confused about Pearl's state and the Pink Boy, but ultimately, they were secondary to the real issue at hand.

"We...have some bad news...."

A fuzz lingered in acoustics, a candle flickered in the unseen winds, as Garnet explained Steven's demise to Connie...and her reaction...time slowed, eyes widened in shock, hands of her parents tightening in hers as to keep Connie from falling in overwhelming devastation. She herself was shaking, with the heat disappearing from her completely, a mouth left slightly agape, quivering, as tears started falling slowly down her cheeks. Her throat tightened as her stomach did not churn, but burned underneath the news unveiled her in a way Garnet would be able to convey. Light would turn to darkness in her own heart as she could only make out a single pleading whisper.

"_No..._"

The quiet word of disbelief, emerging in disconnected sorts of grief before the storm was let loose. The temperature dropped as Connie lost herself completely, drawing attention from everyone else, pulling her hands away from her parents as she suddenly found herself lacking oxygen, panting heavily. Her parents held her close, as Connie fell into her mothers arms, with Doug wrapping an arm around his daughter, feeling Connie's distraught from all over, frowning as she broke the silence, wailing away. She simply didn't want to believe it. Garnet didn't either. Why this was, was anyone's guess. In either way, no one else said anything, keeping to themselves in the shrieking echoes of a distraught lover, words incoherent with any kind of sentence she tried to even form, with the words most commonly expressed were no and can't, with the warmth her parents the only gift they could really provide right now; letting Connie cry as much as she wanted to. She had gone through so much and for reasons no one could ever begin to envision as to the way this had panned out. Darkness a veil, but despair is but a heavy anchor, muting the world with its unwritten spell.

Another word, still never said, against the curse of Connie's lament.

* * *

It took a long hour for Connie to calm down as the vigil of silence remained. She eventually passed out, falling asleep on her side and resting her head on her fathers lap. From her bag, Priyanka had given her a blue blanket to keep her warm and comfortable, as Doug patted his daughters head, her eyes still red from all the crying and the occasional hiccup.

A love so bittersweet, Garnet kept herself together with what she herself was made of. Fusions like her couldn't imagine what it would be like to even one part that made them feel whole. Humans would come and go and they treated the death of one their own so seriously. Looking over at Greg, still lost to himself as Amethyst had leaned over the armrest of the side of the chair, falling asleep herself. The Pearls took care of their Grand Maiden, sitting on the opposite of the room, with the latters head on Aubergines shoulder, the four Pearls huddled together so closely, uncertain of their own path.

This world would burn in the chaos spread and no one had any energy left to right. They were alone; isolated and to stand up took great effort. Strangers, friends, family...they couldn't remain here forever.

In this time of reflection, Garnet took to trying to read a book Connie had placed on the table; one she had been reading before hand. It was titled,** Broken Stars, Shattered Skies; the Legend of the Oldest God**. Written by gem known as Flourite. Opening it, Garnet looked into the text as thus;

"There are many myths and stories as to how the world came to be. One of those stories was of the one true Paragon; Paragon was said to have existed on it's own and desired to create the world in its own image. It radiated like the sun and life wouldn't really form because Paragon was far too powerful that the instant they tried the entity would die from the sheer glance of the Original God. So in haste, they shattered themselves in the event known as the Fracturing.

It's Power was spread across the lands and four Gods would rise in their place as different aspects of Paragon and would govern it. Psyche was the first, the mind to make sense of things and the skies that surrounded the world. Tempestas, the forge the body and the chaos allowed for the shapes to change within storms and natural disasters. Miseria, that which embodied the spirit and the flows of the seas that would roil and swell to keep the world turning. Last was Gaia, the representative of the Compass and the Earth, the formulation of how life on this planet would be directed.

The Gods then created two templates of their own. Gemkind and Humanity; those that would seek to maintain further balance. Gems were given power and humans knowledge. The two races were meant to make discoveries of their own and left to forge a perfect world for themselves."

Garnet knew that this was merely a theory at some glance. She flicked a few pages in to an interesting story that caught her eyes.

"Gemkind discovered along the way that they could fuse together to gain power through their union. It wasn't a method of reproduction like the summonings. A new entity would form in their wake. Some places found this heretical, others, wanted to explore the notions and spent years studying fusion. 

However, a member of the Corundum Coven, a cut of Sapphire predicted certain unions would cause havoc due to imbalances and even proposed that the fusing of Gods would be looked down upon. Fusion itself was a complex, forbidden topic of a long span of time. When the topic of the Paragon was brought up, many wondered if Paragon would be brought back if the Gods decided to fuse together again. Predictions by a multitude of Sapphires preordained that only a complete fusion of all four would bring Paragon back. Anything less and there was an instant imbalance. The Gods were more than Gems or humans, even if in some happenstance that Gems could fuse with humans, they would not become a God.

Fusions create new entities. So if only three of the Four Gods fused, that the new entity would be drastically missing a crucial piece. Though the only one that would only be need to create a stable fusion would be God Psyche. Any other combination would be considered deadly, as the representative of the mind would not be able to make sense of the new form it would find itself in.

A theory formulated through multiple discussions of something known as The Incomplete One, a fusion of the Old Gods minus Psyche and is said to be basically an mindless monster seeking to destroy everything in its path for the sake of the Compass; the strongest leading force as a directive but without the mind to comprehend it fully, the Compass cannot lead itself, so it will create and destroy aimlessly, the world eventually corrupting itself into darkness and insanity its main representation."

Garnet could see how this would come about. She lifted her head, looking at the series of books around her, standing up and looking at Pearl before going in her direction. She had to patient with the dissociating gem, squatting down before them and wanting to know more.

"White knew about Paragon and the Incomplete One." Said Garnet.

"Yes." Said Aubergine.

"White had desired to accumulate the power of the Gods in a way that she saw fit to control."

A move typical of a Queen like her; directing a lot of the forces in ages past to wipe out humanity in general.

"But Queen Pink had sought to return the power to the Gods themselves. She loved humans too much to let them die out just like that."

And she paid dearly for it.

"No one would have thought that this would have been the result." Said Blue Pearl.

"White, however...understood that there was risk in fusing Gods without the control of a mortal heart to guide its path."

Mortal Heart...so Pink...Rose must have known as well that humans were in this just as much as Gems were. She had spent years figuring out what to do...and how to do it. There was a lot of room for error, however.

"So did Rose." Garnet continued.

"She had taken all the precautions and still it wasn't enough."

She noticed Pearls head lift up, struggling to look into Garnets eyes.

"No...Steven..." She muttered.

"Steven did not like my...idea..."

Garnet made that conclusion by the way of marking the pathways in her head, understanding what and who she was talking about in due course.

"It would have been enough to make him stay." Said Yellow Pearl.

"But he didn't...he didn't do the ritual with White's Gem. White still lives with Psyche inside of her."

Garnet weighed the risks, looking at the bubbled Gem beside the couch, containing the infamous Queen. And Steven had Gaia within himself all this time and he didn't know, believing it was there when he supposedly shattered Queen Pink at her Compound. She did prepare what she could, even up to the point where Steven would have never been able to find out that he was but a Prince of the Cursed; damned to this fate all this time. All this talk of him dying...he knew he was going to and thought it was for the best.

All these Gods swirling within him and destroying him in the end. He didn't deserve this; being nearly on Amethyst' level of distress regarding the horrible circumstances that lead them here.

"The Incomplete One has to have Psyche fuse with them." Aubergine said.

"But I have high doubts whether or not they actually want to. It's next to impossible."

Not unless they speak with Psyche themselves; perhaps to figure that out. But dragging White into this discussion was a risk Garnet had to make sure was worth it. But then, she saw the Volleyball underneath it; the Light of Psyche...it could be something they could do and Code has pulled off the impossible just as much. Her Future Vision even begged her to do it.

* * *

She had the Pearls create a barrier rune using Code. It might not contain White entirely but they had to try and reason with the Queen enough to draw on enough to get a better idea. The library itself was wide enough for a simple rune to be drawn in chalk, with Yellow and Blue doing the work, while Aubergine looked after the Grand Maiden. A Circle for create a pseudo hexagonal barrier that allowed them to link the Light with the Gem, while another wall of light around the circle made for a secondary defence mechanism. Priyanka was intrigued.

"You want to talk to Psyche?" She asked.

Garnet nodded, using the Pearls knowledge of code to map it all out correctly...or at least the most efficient way.

"Psyche will help us determine a better solution. If they know about the Incomplete One, then they will help us stop it." She said.

The Witch Doctor didn't believe this would work, but she's seen more bizarre things.

"Just be ready to douse your potion on the Gem when we need to."

The potion Priyanka had was a Witch Doctor variant of a power block; meant to paralyse magic temporarily to ensure this didn't get out of hand. Garnet praised Priyanka's cool under pressure, in the face of adversity. Witch Doctors were to be respected for the being prepared for most situations, humans more so than Gems.

Blue Pearl stood on the western circle, and Yellow on the right as they made lull chants to enforce the exterior barrier with their powers. Garnet stood on the southern end, with Priyanka on the northern, vial of white liquid in her hand. Before Garnet was the ball and White's Gem floated before Pri. Garnet walked in and picked up the ball, as she made her own chants.

"We call upon thy Light of Psyche, your voice through the spirit of this vessel, humble Gems and Humans stand before your wisdom, come down from your skies and open up our minds with your voice!"

Within moments, the ball started to glow, with Garnet letting it go and letting it float. Streams of a whispy like white energy poured from White's Gem from the pseudo sphere and into the ball, where a figure emerged, with their arms risen. Their form was but a heavenly power that took shape of a Pink Pearl. Aubergine gasping at the sight of seeing a sister whom they hadn't seen for many, many years. Gem on her stomach, curled pink hair and a pink gown and cracked side of her face. She opened her eyes, beaming with the same heavenly power. She floated up high, then looked down upon the sight of Garnet.

"_A Fusion calls to me._" She said, voice holding multiple inflections and echoes of the ethereal sort. The true voice of a God with both a feminine and masculine set of pitches.

She looked around, lifted her head up as she closed hers for a few seconds, before looking down at Garnet again with a faint look of disapproval.

"_The Incomplete One exists. Voices scrambled, voices silenced. This world has doomed itself._"

Her voice held all the authority in the room, but Garnet stood her ground.

"Your Grace, I am Garnet. High Priestess of the Crystal Priestesses. I have served for many years under the one with the false name of Rose Quartz, better yet known as Diamond Queen Pink. She felt shame for what she had done and had been making many attempts to restore this world to its former glory. Please, we need your help."

Psyche looked at Connie, before she turned back to Garnet.

"_The human had been trying to find a way to resolve this problem. However, the Incomplete One in this form cannot be touched or destroyed. You must find a way to communicate with the Gods within the fusion._"

How in the world would they even do that, Garnet couldn't answer.

"Not like it is now." Said Priyanka.

"We do not understand what it is we are even dealing with."

Psyche closed their eyes again.

"_Voices scrambled, voices silenced._" She continued.

"_However, the only voice I can hear, is the voice of the Compass...while the Incomplete One makes it own direction without thought, premise or logic, it cannot silence the voices within itself completely; not while there are still tethers to the Gods within this place. The tethers that be...the strongest of the tethers. Rage. Love. Destruction...Growth. The direction of the Compass itself._"

Rage...Garnet looked at Amethyst, whom ran over to the bag on the other side of the room and grabbed the blade, shoving it up for everyone to see before bringing it over to Garnet.

"You're talking about the Rage of Gaia." Garnet said.

"But the Sword, Steven used it to....used it to...used it to..." The GM Pearl said, having stood with Aubergine as they got closer to the rune.

"_The ritual was not done the way it was designed to work_." Psyche continued.

"_The Swords tether...the sword itself must be destroyed in the correct manner for the tether to be cut. For it was the magic conceived by Queen Blue and the Miserian Undertakers_."

Garnet understood that immediately, thrust her fist in her hand in realisation, taking the blade from Amethyst to examine it properly.

"That's right." She said.

"Spirit Seal Relics; We took down Blue and Yellow with the same rituals. I have seen this before. Even if the relic is down to the last shrapnel, then the largest piece remaining would still be considered a Relic in its place."

The Mirror, the Cube, the Sword, the Ball.

And...Steven himself.

"So whats this about the Love of Gaia then?" Priyanka questioned.

"A secondary tether?"

One they had to find fast it appeared. Would they even need it?

"_The Spirit within the Sword has been silenced. However, the Love of Gaia has not_." Psyche continued.

"_A single, existing, living breathing tether._"

They couldn't be talking about Steven. He wasn't...alive in a sense. His spirit could potentially be around maybe, but flesh and blood, he was no longer. But as Psyche turned themselves around, eyes were going towards the sleeping figure on the couch with her father. Connie?

"Wait, Connie is the Love of Gaia?" Amethyst said, a bit weirded out.

Connie was a regular human. Unless.

"No...it's her child." Said Garnet.

A statement that had Priyanka immediately on edge, rebuking the concept entirely.

"What? No...no no _no_ Connie has been through enough, we're _not_ putting her through more crap for some...stupid ritual we don't even know how to do."

Amethyst looked up to Garnet for more clarity on this but...the more Garnet thought about it, the more it would seem to make some kind of logic on a god like level. The point of conception, in the weirdest of ways, had some how, unconsciously from Steven' s end, formulated another Spirit Seal Relic in a more roundabout way. Perhaps, not even in the same method usually used for Spirit Seal Relics. A Blended Magic of Gaian and Miserian; a pure version of itself. They already had the idea that Steven was a mix and match of all magics to begin with and it would just...would and could happen in unexpected and unintended ways that this more more likely the best explanation. Garnet wouldn't want to dwell on those confusing aspects; knowing that it as perhaps, entirely not out of the way of some Blended Magics abilities to find new ways to conduct spells...

"The Child is also Steven's." Garnet said.

"Steven has had Pink's Gem within him the whole time. Its bound to have some effect on any offspring he produces."

Garnet wasn't entirely well versed on human reproduction; it wasn't exactly in her design, but she would know Priyanka would agree with her.

"I suppose...being half Human half Gem would complicate matters." The Witch Doctor said.

"But even if its the tether, how does this help us communicate with the other Gods?"

Psyche bowed their head.

"_The outlier world outside of this one still exists_." They said.

"_Channelling ones spirit to this place would be...out of reach for an ordinary human being, but the human must be able to channel via the energies of the unborn to venture into it..._"

Priyanka did not like this one bit. First the news of Steven's demise destroys her and now she has to go through more torment for the sake of the world when it was meant to be someone else's job. The Knights were taught to make certain sacrifices but nothing like this.

"What danger will this pose?" She demanded to know.

Psyche lifted their chin.

"_This world is where Gods have gathered for years...but it has forever laid void and vacant since the Sin_." They explained further.

"_But I hear the voices of Spirits of Gems and Humans, lost without the guidance to be taken to either afterlife...and....over time...spirits wane and warp....forever wandering the eternal emptiness looking for a hand to hold._"

No one would want monsters running after them. Nope, definitely not.

"Are you sure this is the only way to do it?" Amethyst pleaded.

A question on everyones minds but none with the guts to ask it.

"_A single way does not deny others...but...as the Compass is the lead, talking to Gaia is your only choice. Your greatest chance of success. It will not be easy...the Incomplete One will seek to resist and will know that you're trying to reach out to one of the components. I will advise one last thing_."

Here it comes.

"_I cannot guarantee the outcome you want will be of your best interest. However, if you can shape the world in the way you desire, then you will have what you need. It is the power I have granted my Scribes and the power that is dangerous...and so is Gaian Magic, granted by Gaia themselves. But if Gaia says this world needs to be reborn, that it shall be. If Gaia wants it destroyed, that it shall be. If this human reaches out to them, Gaia will answer them, no matter how far they are or deep they are enclosed within the Incomplete One. Their answer is your conclusion. Good luck._"

With that, Psyche withdrew the Pearl back into the ball, as the ball dropped to the ground. The Pearls stopped their chants, as Garnet ran forward while the pseudo barrier disappeared, giving Pri the nod to pour the energies over Whites Gem, before Amethyst assisted with bubbling it.

There was so much to take in from what Psyche had mentioned. Priyanka was totally against sending Connie to this unknown realm, sitting down on the couch opposite Connie and Doug as she thought long and hard, her eyes on her daughter and running through the pros and cons. Ever since Connie was a little girl, she had an imagination and an ambition to survive. Was it fate that entwined her to Steven? Would the Village Elders approve of such a method? Nothing like this had been seen or done before. Doug didn't like the idea either, trying to surmise what cost they would have to pay to have this work they wanted to.

"If this works..." Priyanka muttered.

"What if it doesn't?" Doug said, continuing to pat his daughters head.

Doubt, doubt and more doubt; not wanting to traumatise Connie any further than she had been. So much pressure and so much to consider, weighing it all up to chance and Priyanka hated leaving it up to pure luck to push through. It was like magic to be like that, however. Luck was always a factor.

"Then we haven't been careful enough." Pri continued.

"We'll need to set up boundaries to make sure Connie is left...unharmed."

They couldn't promise that and both of them knew it. Her mother side told her no but her Witch Doctor side told her yes. But in the end, Priyanka just wanted to be a family again. She sighed.

"Wake her up."

* * *

It took Doug to gently shaking Connie until he she batted her eyes. Sorrow deep within her eyes as Doug helped her sit up. Rubbing her eyes, Connie was a bit disorientated, trying to figure out where she was or what was going on. Doug had his arm wrapped around her, keeping her close and warm with his own body heat. Priyanka loathed to do this, but otherwise never really had much else to go on with. If there was any other way that didn't involve practically throwing her daughter to the dust devils then she would take it up in an instant.

"Mom? Dad?" Connie murmured, her voice cracking.

Priyanka swallowed.

"Hi sweetie." She said, walking around and taking a knee before her daughter.

They talked about how she was feeling and as everything slowly came back to her, she started to sniff, on the verge of tears again. While she didn't wail, Priyanka explained what could be done and whether or not Connie was up to the task of helping them out. The reassurance of telling her that they weren't going to mad if she said no which was understandable, given the horrible circumstances. Priyanka did all the talking, while Connie sat that, absorbing everything her mother was saying and was given the chance to process what they were asking of her.

"And I'm the only one who can do this, right?" Connie asked her.

The only one they knew who potentially could.

"If it was any different I would have someone else do it." Priyanka told her.

"Right now this is the only idea we have."

Connie paused to reflect. She couldn't help but feel the worst parts of despair, her heart wrenched something fierce with the denial that Steven, _her_ Steven was really gone. She was only human, but admittedly had been feeling other strange things as of late but had no real description of what she could compare them to. She imagined Steven having to deal with this sort of nonsense all the time...and then it clicked.

"Where's my green alien toy?" Connie asked all of a sudden.

A strange request, but Priyanka could see Connie's stuff next to the couch and got up and went through her bag, seeing the aforementioned plush sitting there. Priyanka furrowed her brows, bringing it up and looking into the beady black eyes of this unusual creature. She walked up to Connie and handed it to her. Connie looked down at the plush and smiled weakly.

"What's so significant about it?" Priyanka wondered.

Connie hadn't had a affinity with soft toys for years, still smiling as she looked up at her mother.

"Should I tell her?" Connie asked.

"_I don't know. Do what you want. You're the only one who can hear me._" Said Peridot.

And she was talking to them again? This was a bit strange.

"I...did a ritual to bind Peridot's spirit to this plush." She said.

"And...she's been helping me."

Priyanka and Doug exchanged glances, as Garnet walked over, having been listening the whole time.

"You created a Spirit Seal Relic." She announced.

This was new.

"You did....what?" Priyanka said with disbelief.

It was true. The signs were there. How she did it or what she used was irrelevant. Peridot was an Architect Mage after all; she would be useful to them. What Garnet most interesting was the fact that Peridot was already a Spirit Seal Relic prior and Connie had somehow found a way to bring Peridot back in a new form and without using a Gem as part of the process. Unless...

"Peridot heard everything." Garnet said.

"We need her opinion on how to approach this."

Connie looked down at the plush, hoping for some wisdom.

"Yeah I heard everything alright." She said.

"_Contacting a God is a crazy feat, but I think with enough effort, we can pull it off._"


End file.
